CENTENNIAL  EDITION. 


PATHOLOGICAL 


-;'if 


J.  B.  COLEMAN,  M.  E.  C.  V.  S. 


3   9090   013   418   609 


Webster  Family  Library  of  Veterinary  Medicine 
Cummings  School  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
Tufts  University 
200  Westboro  Road 

Wnrth  Grafton.  MA  (11536 


1/ 


NO     FOOT.     NO     HORSE.' 


PATHOLOGICAL    HORSE -SHOEING: 

A  THEORY  AND    PRACTICE 


OF   THE 


SHOEING    OF    HORSES. 


BY    WHICH 


EVERY    DISEASE    AFFECTING    THE    FOOT    OF     THE     HORSE     MAY    BE 

ABSOLUTELY    CURED    OR    AMELIORATED,    AND    DEFECTIVE 

ACTION  OF  THE  LIMBS  EFFECTIVELY  CORRECTED. 

THE    RATIONALE    OF    WHICH    IS    FULLY 

EXPLAINED  AND  DESCRIBED. 


EMBRACING    ALSO 


AN     OUTLINE     OF     THE     ANATOMY     AND     PHYSIOLOGY 


OF    THE 


FOOT    OF    THE    HORSE, 

AND    A    COPIOUS    GLOSSARY,     FORMULARY     AND     INDEX. 


BY 


JOSEPH  BRINE  COLEMAN,  V.  S., 

Member  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary   Surgeons,  and  member  of  the  Veterinary 

Medical  Association  of  London,  England. 


MA  Y   BE    HAD    OF   ALL    BOOKSELLERS. 


CH  I  CAGO: 

Published    by    the    Author,  at  the   Office  ok   Henky  Fish  &  Co.,  Pkinteks  and 

Publishers.  140  Clark  Street. 

1876. 


^3 


Entered  According  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  Year  1876,  in  the  Office  of  the 

Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


The    right    0/  translation    is    strictly    reserved. 


INDEX 


Anatomy  and  Physiology  of  the  Foot  of 

the  Horse — General  Remarks 16 

Definitions 18 

External  Structures  of  the  Foot 18 

The  Wall 18 

Composition  of 19 

Form  of 19 

Shape  of 20 

Bars,  Braces,  or  Buttresses  of 20 

Laminated  Internal  Surface  of 21 

Epidermis  or  Cuticle  of 22 

Coronary  Concavity    20 

Angle  of  Inflection,  Abnormal 21 

Horny  Sole  and  its  Functions    23 

Peculiarities  of  Structure    24 

Horny  Frog  and  its  Functions 24 

Peculiar  Properties  of 25 

Internal  Apex  of 25 

Remarkable  Appendix  to 25 

Coronary  Frog-band 26 

Fleming's  Description  of 27 

Internal  Tissues  of  the  Foot — Its  Parts 

Particularized 28 

Bone,  Chemical  Constitution  of 28 

General  Characteristics  of 29 

Bones  of  the  Foot 30 

Os  Pedis      30 

"A  Mockery,  A  Delusion,  and  A  Snare."  31 

Pedestal  of  the  Column 32 

Remarkable  Construction  of 32 

Essential  Importance  of  the  Foot 32 

Os  Coronae    33 

Os  Naviculare '. 33 

Stellate  Ligaments  of 34 

Cartilaginous  Structures  of  the  Foot 35 

Lateral  Cartilages 35 

Inferior  Cartilages 35 

Articular  Cartilage 36 

Remarkable  Characteristics  of 37 

Buffers  and  Gilding  Surfaces 37 

A  Knotty  Question 38 

Ligamentous  Textures  of  the  Foot 39 

Coronary  Ligament 39 


Functions  of 39 

Reasons  versus  Ipse  Dixits 40 

Periosteal  and  Endosteal  Membranes...  .  41 

Sensitive  Laminae 42 

An  Undetermined  Question 43 

Interperiosteal  Pad 43 

Relative  Weights  Sustained  by  Fore  and 

Hind  Limbs 44 

Facilis  Decensus  Avernus 45 

Sensitive  Sole 46 

An  Erroneous  Conception  Exposed 46 

Mr.  Fleming,  Rise  and  Explain 47 

The  Solar  Zone 47 

Sensitive  Frog  47 

Functions  of 49 

Characteristic  Structure  of 48 

Importance  of  Healthy  Condition  of. . . . .  49 

Structure  Indicates  Function  49 

Maximum  and  Minimum  of  Lateral  Move- 
ments    50 

Summary  of  Views 50 

Tendons  and  Tendinous  Textures — Par 

ticularized 51 

General  Character  of 51 

Important  Anatomical  Fact 52 

Flexor  Tendons 52 

Remarkable  Mechanical  Arrangements  of  53 

Three-fold  Functions  of 54 

Extensor  Tendons 54 

Accessories  of 55 

The  True  Suspensor 56 

Low  Instep,  Frequent  Source  of  Lameness  54 

Antagonizing  Forces 56 

Secret  of  Knee  Action 57 

Tendinous  Expansions 57 

Lesser  Ligaments  of  the  Articulations. . .  57 

Synovial  Membranes 58 

Diseases  of,  and  their  Sequela; 58 

A  Common  Error  Corrected 58 

The  Circulatory  System  of  the  Foot 60 

Arteries 60 

General  Remarks  Upon 60 

Characteristics  of 61 


iv. 


Microscopic  Anatomy  of ....  61 

The  Plantar  Arteries,  Description  of 62 

The  Plantar  Capillaries 64 

Physiological  Facts 65 

Veins 66 

Microfcopic  Anatomy  of 66 

Anatomical  Arrangement  Described 68 

Veins  of  the  Foot  Have  No  Valves. .      . .  67 

The  Reason  Why 68 

Lymphatics  of  the  Foot 69 

Scavengers  or  Sanatory  Agents 70 

Lymphatic  Glands 71 

Nerves 71 

General  Remarks  Upon  Nervous  System  71 

Nerves  of  the  Foot 72 

Distributive  Arrangement  of 72 

Is  the  Equine  Foot  an  Organ  of  Special 

Sensation  ? 73 

Prima  Facie  Reasons 74 

Analogical  Argument 74 

An  Objection  Anticipated   75 

Experientia  Docet 75 

Relative  Sensibility  of  the  Equine  Foot  .  76 

Causes  of  Impaired  Action 76 

Sub-acute  Laminitis 77 

Acute  Laminitis 77 

General  Causes — Diverse  Effects  . .    78 

Injuries  from  Nailing  on  the  Shoe 78 

Source  of  Pain  in  the  Foot 79 

External  Sources  of  Pain  in  the  Foot 80 

Muscular  Spasms,  or  Cramp 80 

Non-Inflammatory  Affections 89 

The  "  Ragged  Edge  " 80 

Possible  Cause  of  Stringhalt 81 

Secreting   Structures   of  the    Foot — Par- 
ticularized    82 

"  Ample  Room  and  Verge  Enough  " 82 

Constitution  of  Secreting  Villi 83 

Fluid  Elements  of  the  Foot  Particularized  83 

Physical  Properties  of  the  Blood 83 

Important  Physiological  Facts 83 

Red  and  White  Blood-Cells 84 

Chemico-vital  Changes  in  the  Blood  ....  84 

Judicious  Mechanical  Expansion 85 

The  "  No-Contraction  and  Non-Expan- 
sion Heresies 86 

Preliminary  Remarks 86 

Facts  versus  Theories 87 

Contraction  as  a  Morbid  Condition 88 

The  Reviewer  Reviewed 8S 

Age  not  the  Gage  of  Experience 89 

11  Be  Just  and  Fear  Not  " 89 

Essence  of  Gamgee 89 

1  he  Case  Stated 90 


An  Important  Omission  Supplied 91 

"  Language  the  Key  to  the  Sciences  "...  91 

Authorized  Definitions 92 

What  Does  Atrophy  Mean  ? 92 

Value  of  the  Word  Atrophy 93 

Facts  versus  Fallacies 93 

Varieties  of  Feet — How  Produced 94 

Effects  of  Dry  Atmosphere 94 

Varieties  and  Effects  of  Contraction 95 

The  Invariable  Cause  of  Quarter-Crack.  95 
The  Diseases  of  the  Foot  of  the  Horse — 
Contraction — Symptoms   and  Treat- 
ment    97 

Positive  and  Negative  Evidence 97 

Preparation  of  the  Foot 98 

Form 99 

The  Best  Kind  of  Shoe 100 

Nail-holes  and  Nailing 101 

Acute   Laminitis — Acute    Rheumatism — 
Acute    Founder— Proximate    Causes 

of. 103 

Symptoms  and  Treatment 102 

A  Puzzling  Problem 104 

The  Cure,  "  That  is  the  Question  " io4 

Octogenarian  Veterinarians 104 

The  Kind  of  Reception 105 

Special  Points  in  Shoeing  for  Laminitis. .  105 

Broad's  Laminitis  Shoe 106 

A  Point  of  Importance 106 

The  Rolling  Motion  Expedient 106 

Depletion,  When  Desirable 107 

Constitutional  Treatment 107 

Chronic    Laminitis — Chronic    Founder — 

Pumiced  Foot 108 

Authorized  Errors  Combated 108 

Support  the  Sole 108 

"Stubborn  Facts"  versus  "High  Author- 
ity"   109 

A  Demonstrable  Fact 109 

The  Why  and  the  Wherefore 109 

Common-Sense  Shoeing  the  Desideratum  no 

How  to  shoe  the  Pumiced  Foot no 

Navicular   Disease — Causes  and    Symp- 
toms    in 

Rheumatic  Symptoms 112 

Treatment 113 

Ringbone — Etiology  and  Pathology 113 

Treatment 113 

Sidebones — Ossification    of   the    Lateral 

Cartilages— Etiology  and  Pathology.  114 

Treatment 115 

Corn — Causes  and  Symptoms 115 

The  Old  Theory 116 

The  Writer's  Theory 115 


v. 


Contraction,    or    Lateral    Pressure,    the 

Cause  of  Corn 116 

.Treatment  of  Corn 116 

Concomitants  of  Contraction 117 

No  Bar-Shoes  Necessary  for  the  Cure  of 

Any  Corn 117 

Suppurating  Corn 117 

Nothing  Like  Expansion  of  the  Quarters 

to  Cure  Corn 118 

Toe-Crack  and  Quarter-Crack— Etiology 

and  Pathology n8 

Contractionists,  and  Non-Contractionists  119 
Solid  Proofs  Wanted,  Not  Fallacious  Ar- 
guments   ii9 

The  True  Rationale  of  Quarter-Crack  . .    120 

Centers  of  Rotation,  or  Motion 120 

Correlative  Movements 121 

Rationale  of  Treatment 121 

A  Sine  Qua  Non    142 

An  Exploded  Fallacy 122 

Quarter  Before,  Toe  Behind 125 

The  Cause,  Par  Excellence 123 

What  to  Do,  What  Not  to  Do 123 

False  Quarter— Shelly  Foot— Seedy  Toe.   124 

False  Quarter 12. 

Treatment I2c 

Shelly  Foot I2<= 

Treatment I2c 

Seedy  Toe— Special  Characteristics 126 

General  Treatment I27 

Grease  -  Scratches—  Chapped    Heels- 
Thrush— Etiology  and  Pathology  ...    128 

Fatty  Follicles  and  Their  Functions 128 

Crowding  and  Dwarfing  the  Tissues 128 

Difficult  to  Misunderstand 129 

The  Machinery  out  of  Gear 129 

Bad  Enough  at  That  ...  = I3o 

Treatment  of  Grease  or  Scratches 130 

Treatment  of  Thrush 13I 

The  All-Important  Adjunct i3I 

Treatment  of  Canker i31 

Some  Cures  Contrary  to  All  Expectation  i3i 

Atrophy  of  the  Foot— Dry  Rot i33 

Contraction,    Both    Cause    and     Conse- 
quence     133 

General  Principles  of  Treatment i33 

Accidental  Injuries I33 

Calking  the  Instep 134 

Characteristics  of  Quittor 134 

A  Remarkable  Resemblance i34 

The  Most  Powerful  A djunct i3S 

Tetanus   or   Locked-Jaw  —  Etiology   and 

Pathology I35 

Mysterious  Intertransmutations  of  Disease  136 


Ml 


Facts  of  Pathology 137 

Concurrent,  or  Predisposing  Causes 137 

Invaluable  Adjunctive  Measure 138 

Stringhalt— A  Mysterious  Malady 139 

Notes  and  Queries i4<J 

Peculiar  Mechanism  of  the  Hock- Joint. .    140 
Does  Stringhalt  Constitute  Unsoundness  ?  141 

Professor  Spooner's  Hypothesis 141 

Percival's  Opinion 142 

Microscopical  Research 14* 

Professor  Spooner's  Final  Judgment 142 

Physiological    Attribute    of    the    Hock- 
Joint 

Busteed's  Belief 

Professor  Spooner's  Strictures 14- 

Dr.  Busteed's  Claim  as  a  Discoverer 144 

Experimental  Facts i44 

A  Curious  Coincidence 144 

The  Writer's  Suggestion 145 

Summarized  Statement  of  Author's  The- 
ory    i47 

Summary  of  Changes i47 

Incipient  Contraction j47 

Advanced  Contraction i47 

Ossification  of  Lateral  Cartilages i47 

Laminitis I47 

Drop-Sole,  or  Pumiced  Foot i47 

Navicular  Disease i48 

Ringbone. , I48 

Corns I48 

Quark-Crack j48 

Toe-Crack l4s 

False  Quarrer j49 

Shelly-Foot I49 

Seedy-Toe I49 

Scratches I49 

Thrush  of  the  Frog, i49 

Canker  of  the  Sole i49 

General  Atrophy  of  the  Foot i49 

Accidental  Injuries i49 

Treads 

Bruises 

Injuries  from  Calking i49 

Quittors I49 

Suppurating  Corns i49 

Picking  Up  Nails  .., i49 

Injuries  Connected  With  Shoeing i49 

Constitutional  Complaints i49 

Tetanus,  or  Locked  Jaw i49 

Pneumonia I49 

Pleurisy   I49 

Gastritis I49 

Enteritis 


149 
i49 


Gastro-Enteritis , j 


149 


49 


VI. 


Skin  Affections 149 

Sweeny,  or  Atrophy  of  Muscles 150 

Irregularities  of  Gait  and  Action 150 

Conclusion 151 

formul.-e  : 

Poultices  and  Poultice  Boots 152 

Fomentations  for  Different  Forms  of  In- 
jury     153 

Lotions  for  Various  Purposes 154 

Liniments  and  Embrocations  for  Sprains, 

Bruises,  ete 156 

Liniments  and  Salves  for  Canker,  Thrush, 

etc 157 

Powders  for  Scratches,  Canker,  Thrush, 

etc 159 

Powders  for  Cleaning  Foul  Ulcers,  etc. . .   160 
Blistering  Applications  for  the  Removal 
of  Splents,  Spavins,  Ringbones,  Side- 
bones,   Bony   Enlargements,  Thick- 
ened Tendons,  etc 161 


Hoof  Dressings — Their  Use  and  Abuse. .   162 

Hoof  Stimulants 163 

Hoof  Salves 164 

Hoof  Stoppings  for  Sole  and  Frog 164 

Constitutional  Treatment 166 

Preliminary  Remarks 166 

Glossary x7° 

Special  Notification I79 

Testimonials J8i 

How  to  make  a  Book 181 

The  Play  without  the  Part  of  Hamlet. . .  181 

Acknowledgments 182 

Unexceptionable  Testimony 182 

Letter  from  Addison  Doughty 182 

Letter  from  R.  C.  Anthony 184 

The  Dilator l86 

The  Book  and  the  Instrument— Terms. .  187 


APOLOGETIC  AND  EXPLANATORY. 


The  author  of  this  work  is  fully  conscious  of  some  errors  of 
omission  as  well  as  commission  to  be  found  within  its  pages, 
although  he  deems  them  of  minor  importance,  when  compared 
with  the  really  valuable  and  useful  practical  information  it  con- 
tains, upon  a  much  neglected  but  highly  important  branch  of 
veterinary  science  and  art.  It  was  intended  that  its  pages 
should  have  been  enriched  with  first-class  engravings  illus- 
trative of  the  doctrines  and  the  practice  taught.  These,  how- 
ever, the  exigencies  of  professional  duties,  and  other  circum- 
stances, would  not  admit  of  being  executed  in  a  manner  that 
would  be  deemed  satisfactory  to  the  public,  or  the  author, 
within  the  limits  of  time  at  the  latter's  disposal.  He  trusts 
that  his  desire  for  the  issuance  of  his  work  during  the  most 
momentous  celebration  of  human  progress  of  modern  times, 
may,  to  some  extent,  further  excuse  this  omission,  as  well  as 
the  reduction  of  the  original  price — Five  Dollars  with  illustra- 
tions, to  Three  Dollars  without  them.  It  is  the  author's 
intention  to  fully  complete  his  work  in  a  future  edition,  and 
to  make  it  worthy  in  every  respect  of  the  age  of  enlightened 
progress  in  which  we  live ;  of  the  great  epoch  now  being 
celebrated ;  of  the  Country,  par  excellence^  which  as  yet,  has 
exhibited  the  highest  developement  combined  with  the  greatest 
utilization  of  speed  in  the  noblest  of  all  animals,  the  Horse  ; 
and  of  the  important  proiessson  to  which  he  has  the  honor  to 
belong. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


»■  ♦  ■« 


HUMANE  SOCIETIES  AND  IMPROVED  HORSE-SHOEING. 

Amongst  the  various  secondary  objects  which  Humane  So- 
cieties, the  world  over,  propose  to  themselves  to  attain  in  order 
to  carry  into  effect  their  highest  benevolent  intentions  towards 
the  inferior  order  of  created  beings,  which  are  associated  with, 
or  subject  to,  the  service  of  mankind  within  the  different  spheres 
of  civilization,  there  is  none  I  deem  of  more  transcending  im- 
portance to  the  best  interests  of  society,  in  subserving  the  noble 
aims,  greater  and  lesser,  which  those  societies  have  in  view, 
and  the  well  being  of  the  quadruped  under  consideration,  than 
improved  methods  of  shoeing  horses,  whether  for  the  purpose  of 
preventing  disease  and  lameness,  or  for  removing  or  amelior- 
ating those  abnormal  conditions  when  present.  The  full  meas- 
ure or  complement  of  all  that  is  possible  in  these  directions, 
ought  to  be  accomplished. 

The  writer  of  the  following  pages  on  pathological  horse- 
shoeing, deeply  impressed  with  this  view,  as  well  as  actuated 
by  a  profound  conviction  of  personal  duty,  earnestly  desires  to 
enlist  the  active  sympathies  and  assistance  of  the  above  socie- 
ties in  every  civilized  community  on  behalf  of  what  he  regards 
as  his  mission  of  mercy  to  the  victim  of  the  most  unaccount- 
able ignorance  of  his  necessities,  in  the  management  of  one  of 
his  most  essential  organs  of  usefulness ;  yet,  withal,  an  indis- 
pensable and  invaluable  adjunct  of  civilization  everywhere. 

About  three. years  since,  the  Scottish  Society  for  the  Preven- 
tion of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  awarded  prizes  "for  the  best  and 
most  practical  essays  on  horse-shoeing,  in  connection  with  the 
comfort  and  soundness  of  the  horse."     Upwards  of  forty  essays 

B 


10 

were  sent  in,  the  chief  prize  being  awarded  to  G.  S.  Fleming, 
Esq.,  of  London.  Mr.  Fleming's  essay  contemplates  only  the 
correct  principles  upon  which  a  sound  foot  should  be  shod. 
It  left  untouched  the  wider  and  more  important  question  as  to 
how  the  feet  of  horses  in  a  diseased  and  semi-diseased  conditions 
should  be  shod ;  more  important  because  of  horses  in  actual 
service  at  the  present  time,  I  do  not  think  that  one  in  twenty 
may  be  said  to  have  a  perfectly  sound  foot;  and  still  more  im- 
portant, inasmuch  as  the  methods  or  principles  involved  in 
restoring  a  diseased  foot  to  healthy  conditions,  will  point,  in- 
fallibly, to  the  manner  in  which  it  should  be  shod  to  preserve 
healthy  conditions,  while  no  amount  of  ordinary  horse-shoeing 
for  the  sound  foot  will  teach  methods  of  shoeing  for  the  un- 
sound foot.  The  term,  pathological  shoeing,  refers  to  shoeing 
diseased  feet ;  physiological  shoeing,  to  shoeing  the  sound  foot. 
Some  prefatory  remarks  to  Mr.  Fleming's  essay,  made  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  S.  S.  P.  C.  A.,  have  a  peculiar  appropriateness 
here.  He  says  :  "  It  is  a  painful  reflection,  that  the  advance  of 
civilization  seems  ever  to  be  accompanied  by  certain  evils,  and 
in  no  instance  is  this  more  marked  than  in  the  terrible  amount 
of  suffering  unnecessarily  endured  by  the  Horse.  This  ani- 
mal, pre-eminently  the  most  useful  to  man,  is  the  one  upon 
which  is  inflicted,  either  wantonly,  or  through  sheer  ignorance, 
or  thoughtlessness,  the  greatest  amount  of  cruelty.  The  re- 
cords of  all  humane  societies,  show  that  of  prosecutions  for 
cruelty  to  animals,  an  overwhelming  majority  refer  to  the  horse, 
and  of  these  a  large  proportion  are  for  working  horses,  while 
suffering  from  lameness  in  one  form  or  another.  So  frequent 
are  such  cases,  that  observers  have  concluded  that  its  preva- 
lence must  result  from  some  specific  cause;  and  not  unnatu- 
rally attention  has  been  directed  to  the  various  modes  of  man- 
agement practiced  relative  to  the  horse's  foot,  to  the  manner 
of  shoeing,  and  in  particular  to  the  way  in  which  the  hoof  is 
prepared  for  the  shoe."  Here,  then,  is  an  illustrious  prece- 
dent, if  any  were  needed,  in  the  most  progressive  city  in  the 
world,  whose  collective  characteristic  is  to  lead  rather  than  to 
follow ;    for  the  Chicago  Branch  of  the  Illinois  Society  for  the 


11 

Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  upon  which  to  take  action 
upon  a  question  of  extreme  moment,  directly  to  the  well-being 
of  the  horse,  whose  natural  rights  it  is  the  morally  and  legally 
recognized  guardian  and  advocate;  and,  incidentally,  to  the 
main  objects  to  attain  which,  the  society  has  been  called  into 
existence,  and  to  society  at  large.  I  respectfully  suggest,  that 
a  committee  of  this  Society  be  appointed  to  inquire  into  the 
value  of  the  modes  of  treatment  enunciated  in  this  work. 
This  can  readily  be  determined  by  testimony  and  experiment. 
I  am  prepared  to  show  by  the  testimony  of  gentlemen,  owners 
of  horses,  and  of  well  known  horsemen  of  this  city  whose 
horses  I  have  treated,  and  some  of  whom,  moreover,  I  have  in- 
structed in  my  processes  and  plans  of  treatment,  that  the 
majority  of  all  the  diseases  incidental  to  horses'  feet  are  curable 
by  the  means  I  recommend,  and  many  of  them  by  no  other 
means;  that  they  have  the  merit  of  being  simple  and  easily  ac- 
quired, and  their  application  easy,  by  any  man  of  intelligence; 
that  there  need  be  no  pain  consequent  upon  their  application, 
but  that,  in  many  cases,  they  occasion  an  immediate  relief  of 
pain  and  lameness.  By  experiment,  I  propose  to  prove  beyond 
a  peradventure,  that  in  all  the  varieties  of  foot  affections,  with 
but  very  few  exceptions,  the  immediate  effect  is  beneficial,  and 
the  ultimate  result  in  a  vast  majority  of  lamenesses  from  diseases 
of  the  foot,  an  absolute  cure,  if  simple  rules  concerning  man- 
agement and  shoeing  are  observed  during  the  progress  of  re- 
covery. If  this  can  be  shown  to  the  satisfaction  of  a  com- 
mittee of  this  Society,  can  a  doubt  exist  as  to  the  course  the 
latter  ought  to  pursue  in  regard  to  an  endorsement  of  the  treat- 
ment recommended  and  taught  in  this  work  ? 


PREFATORY. 


»♦» 


The  publication  of  this  work  has  arisen  out  of  the  expression 
of  a  want  on  the  part  of  my  pupils  for  a  remembrancer,  or 
guide,  in  the  application  of  the  principles  and  practice  of  the 
treatment  I  have  adopted  and  recommend  for  the  adoption 
of  others,  as  the  most  rational,  and  the  most  successful  of  any 
that  I  am  acquainted  with,  or  even  heard  of. 

The'  first  intention  was  to  limit  its  issue  to  my  pupils  who 
had  been  fully  instructed  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  the 
views  it  embodies.  A  fuller  consideration,  however,  of  the 
benefits  that  would  accrue  to  society,  aye,  to  the  world  at  large, 
in  the  diminished  sufferings,  a  fuller  utilization,  and  in  the 
enhanced  pleasure  and  profit  arising  from  the  employment  of 
one  of  the  most  useful  of  the  domestic  animals,  namely,  the 
horse,  has  determined  the  writer  to  give  a  wider  dissemination  to 
his  views  and  methods  of  treatment  for  the  diseases  incidental  to 
the  foot  of  that  animal ;  to  devote  his  entire  energies  to  the  work 
of  personal  instruction  which  he  has  begun,  and  by  rescuing 
those  operations  from  the  domain  of  empiricism  and  selfish 
secrecy,  to  give  them  their  legitimate  place  in  the  category  of 
useful  medical  appliances. 

It  is  a  fact  but  too  patent  to  the  observation  of  every  think- 
ing person  having  any  interest  of  humane  sentiment,  pleasure, 
or  pecuniary  profit  in  the  well-being  of  the  horse,  that  the  foot- 
diseases  of  this  animal  are  out  of  all  reasonable  proportion,  in 
excess  of  those  affecting  him  in  other  respects,  and  that  the 
foot  of  the  horse  and  its  diseases,  notwithstanding  the  numer- 
ous ponderous  volumes  that  have  appeared  from  time  to  time 
since  the  establishment  of  the  Royal  Veterinary  College  of  Lon- 
don, England,  over  three-quarters  of  a  century  since,  is  still  the 
least  understood,  and  the  best,  or  worst  abused  organ  of  the 
whole  animal  economy. 


13 

Every  humanitarian  who  embraces  within  his  merciful  re- 
gard every  creature  whose  existence  is  not  inimical  to  his  own, 
whose  common  feelings  of  sympathy  for  the  speechless  victims 
of  modern  civilization,  constitute  a  platform  of  union  and  effort, 
for  the  one  common  purpose  of  preventing,  or  mitigating  those 
sufferings,  as  far  as  they  have  the  authority  and  power  con- 
ferred by  the  law  to  do,  will  assuredly  be  interested  in  any 
painless,  or  even  comparatively  painless  process-  of  treatment 
by  which  the  sufferings  of  horses  which  arise  from  the  morbid 
condition  of  their  feet,  may  be  materially  abridged ;  that  in 
some  instances  acts  almost  magically  in  the  relief  of  pain,  and 
in  all  cases  exerts  its  ameliorating  influence  gradually,  but 
surely,  and  perceptibly,  day  by  day. 

The  scientific  veterinarian  owes  a  positive  duty  to  society 
and  to  the  profession  of  which  he  is  a  member,  besides  hav- 
ing a  personal  and  pecuniary  interest  therein,  to  investigate 
any,  and  every  mode  of  operation  that  promises  to  enable  him 
to  cope  more  successfully  than  he  has  hitherto  done  with  the 
morbid  conditions  of  the  pedal  extremities  of  the  animal  of 
whose  physical  welfare  he  is  the  recognized  protector  and  phy- 
sician, which  seem  to  have  baffled  and  defied  the  acutest  veter- 
inary pathologists  of  every  age  and  country  to  account  for  and 
to  overcome.  Has  he  not  an  all  important  interest,  the  value  of 
which  can  scarcely  be  estimated,  in  a  theory,  and  such  a  prac- 
tical verification  of  it,  that  throws  a  clear  and  unexpected  light 
upon  causes  of  morbid  conditions  heretofore  obscure,  and  a 
theory  and  practical  measure  moreover,  the  truth  and  value  of 
which  he  can  so  readily  demonstrate  for  himself  in  a  variety  of 
cases,  and  be  master  of  its  application  in  a  few  hours? 

Hitherto,  I  confess,  I  have  been  extremely  reticent  upon  the 
subject  of  my  modes  of  treating  diseases  of  the  feet  of  horses. 
Now  that  I  have  assumed  the  role  of  teacher,  and  have  de- 
voted my  time  and  energies  to  the  vocation  of  teaching,  I  am 
willing  to  impart  the  special  information  I  possess  freely  and 
unreservedly  to  every  veterinary  practitioner  of  whose  ability 
I  am  satisfied  to  do  justice  to  the  operation  I  recommend. 


u 

It  is  not  less  the  duty  and  the  interest  of  the  horse-shoer, 
who  aspires  to  superiority  in  his  important  and  useful  calling, 
to  acquire  a  correct,  if  not  a  profound  knowledge  of  the  nature 
and  functions  of  the  structures  he  is  called  upon  to  operate,  in 
order — 

i.  That  he  might  the  more  intelligently  co-operate  with  the 
owner  of  the  horse,  or  the  veterinary  surgeon  having  a  case  in 
his  charge. 

2.  That  he  may  justly  be  entitled  to  the  confidence  of  his 
employer  who  may  be  unable,  or  unwilling,  if  able,  to  give 
any  special  directions  in  the  matter. 

3.  That  he  may  be  able  to  distinguish  between  normal  and 
abnormal  developments,  or  healthy  and  unhealthy  conditions, 
to  become  familiar  with,  so  as  to  be  able  to  detect  readily 
the  first  advances  of  a  departure  from  healthy  conditions,  or 
the  natural  conformation  of  the  organ  it  is  his  particular  pro- 
vince to  conserve  and  protect ;  and  moreover  that  he  may  have, 
and  be  able  to  apply  that  special  knowledge  which  will  enable 
him  to  counteract  and  check  such  advances. 

The  shoeing-smith  who  possesses  these  qualifications  has  in 
his  hands  a  powerful  lever  of  personal  advancement  in  his  call- 
ing, and  the  whip  hand  of  his  fellow  craftsman  not  so  well  in- 
formed, upon  the  road  to  distinction  and  wealth. 

A  clear  understanding  of  the  subject  can  be  gained  by  any 
intelligent  smith  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  private,  or  other 
instruction,  by  the  aid  of  specimens,  diagrams,  etc.  His  oppor- 
tunities for  demonstration  are  of  course  the  best,  as  he  can  be 
instructed  and  initiated  into  the  modus  operandi  in  his  own 
workshop.  Every  smith,  if  possessed  of  candor,  after  witness- 
ing the  results  of  the  operation  for  Contracted  Feet,  Corn, 
Quarter-crack,  and  in  Founder  and  Navicular  Disease  are  so 
pleased  and  surprised  that  they  exclaim  in  the  spirit,  if  not  in 
the  precise  language  of  the  philosophic  Hamlet  : 

"  There  are  more  things  in  heaven  and  earth,  Horatio, 
Than  are  dreamt  of  in  our  philosophy.'' 

I  claim  no  special  merit  on  the  score  of  originality  as  to  the 
facts  and  the  main  feature  of  the  practice  on  which  my  methods 


15 

of  treatment  are  based.  There  is  nothing  new  in  the  practice 
of  dilating  the  foot  for  a  contracted  condition  of  that  organ, 
,  though  I  incline  to  the  opinion  that  something  new  will  be 
found  in  its  application,  and  in  the  theory  which  embraces  and 
explains  the  etiology  and  the  rationale  of  cure  of  every  specific 
disease  of  the  foot,  and  throws  new  light  on  some  of  the  mys- 
terious constitutional  maladies  of  the  horse. 

The  process,  limited  to  the  correction  of  contraction,  was 
recommended  by  La  Fosse,  a  celebrated  French  equine  path- 
ologist, over  a  century  since,  and  his  successors  at  the  Veter- 
inary College  of  Toulouse,  have  issued  a  brochure  on  the  sub- 
ject within  the  last  decade;  still,  however,  limiting  its  utility  to 
contraction.  Horse-shoers  everywhere,  but  especially  in  the 
country  districts,  occasionally  pry  open  the  horns  of  the  shoe 
with  a  common  smith's  tongs. 

I  have  experimented  and  investigated,  and  have  found  that 
there  is  literally  no  disease,  and  scarcely  a  condition  of  the 
equine  foot  to  which  it  is  not  applicable,  whether  it  is  for  the 
prevention  or  cure  of  disease,  or  for  the  correction  of  faulty 
action,  and  per  consequence,  the  development  of  speed. 

This  universal  applicability  has  revealed  the  true  character 
and  causes  of  some  diseases  about  which  controversies  have 
raged  and  spent  themselves  in  vain  for  the  last  three  quarters 
of  a  century,  as  far  as  a  solution  of  the  questions  in  dispute  was 
concerned,  and  of  others  which  have  hitherto  been  very  diffi- 
cult of  cure,  but  of  which  the  difficulties  are  now  completely 
overcome.  In  short,  the  long  sought  for  theory,  which  most 
writers  on  veterinary  pathology  have  thought  would  in  time  be 
found,  that  would  explain  and  harmonize  many  conflicting 
opinions  and  recorded  observations  upon  these  matters,  and 
show  the  true  sequence  of  the  causes  and  effects  which  pro- 
duce the  various  disorders  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  in  the  wri- 
ter's opinion,  has  been  found,  and  is  now  submitted  to  the 
judgment  of  the  veterinary  profession  and  the  world — for  the 
first  time. 


ANATOMY  AND   PHYSIOLOGY  OF 

THE  FOOT. 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 

To  attain  anything  like  a  full  and  clear  conception  of  the 
economy  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  its  various  component  parts, 
whether  internal  or  external ;  their  structural  organization,  and 
the  uses  for  which  they  are  designed;  the  laws  that  govern 
healthy  function ;  the  phenomena  of  disease,  and  the  rationale 
of  cure,  should  be  studied  very  attentively.  "  There  is  no 
royal  road  "  to  the  perfect  mastery  of  this  subject ;  but  it  is  one 
whoever  travels  with  diligence,  whether  for  pleasure  or  profit, 
will  soon  be  led  to  a  strong  vantage  ground  of  usefulness  to 
society,  that  will  enable  him  to  accomplish  an  incalculable 
amount  of  benefit  for  the  horse,  and  therefore  for  his  owner, 
and  incidently  to  advance  in  manner  and  degree,  but  little  sus- 
pected, the  best  interests  of  humanity  and  civilization. 

Anything  more  than  a  brief  outline  of  the  anatomy  of  the 
integrant  parts  of  the  foot,  whether  internal  or  external,  would 
lead  me  far  beyond  the  limits  assigned  me  by  the  scope  of  this 
work  or  the  patience  of  my  readers.  Indeed,  I  would  much 
prefer  the  discussion  of  hypotheses,  the  investigation  of  causes, 
and  the  practical  application  of  remedies,  to  the  dry  details 
of  anatomy.  They  are,  however,  not  barren  of  results,  since 
they  afford  the  only  foundation  upon  which  the  science  of 
therapeutics  can  be  built.  If,  therefore,  we  would  build  for  per- 
manence, we  must  lay  the  foundation  broad  and  deep  in  the 
facts  and  teachings  of  anatomy  and  physiology. 


17 

The  importance  of  a  knowledge  of  the  peculiarities  of  form 
and  structure  of  the  various  organs  and  tissues  of  which  the 
foot  is  composed,  will  be  best  appreciated  when  disease  has  in- 
vaded them,  and  every  available  means  are  being  employed  to 
combat  the  invader.  On  such  occasions  I  am  accustomed  to 
say  that  the  case  requires,  and  should  have,  every  chance  there 
is  in  its  favor,  however  apparently  trifling,  to  expedite  recovery. 
An  apparently  trifling  chance  will  frequently  turn  the  scale  for, 
or  against,  the  animal's  recovery,  and  the  reputation  of  the 
practitioner. 

The  amateur  student  may  not  be  aware  that  considerable 
diversity  of  opinion  exists  not  only  in  the  great  body  of  the 
veterinary  profession,  but  even  amongst  its  leading  teachers 
and  writers;  not  only  upon  the  functions  of  the  different 
organs  that  compose  the  foot,  but  of  those  of  the  pedal  organ 
itself. 

Even  the  anatomical  structure  of  the  foot,  usually  deemed  a 
science  of  fact  and  of  demonstration,  so  prolific  is  the  foot  of 
the  horse  in  contrariety  of  views,  does  not  command  absolute 
unanimity  of  opinion. 

As  to  the  specific  diseases  of  the  equine  foot,  there  are  still 
wider  divergencies  of  sentiment  and  opinion  concerning  their 
causes  and  treatment  amongst  the  literary  luminaries  of  the 
profession.  These,  however,  will  be  reviewed  in  the  section 
devoted  to  the  consideration  of  the  diseases  of  the  foot. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  and  by,  what  an  important  connection 
there  is  between  a  correct  knowledge  of  healthy  functions  of 
the  several  parts  of  the  foot,  and  the  right  application  of  prin- 
ciples for  the  prevention  and  removal  of  its  morbid  conditions. 

A  study  of  the  physiological  laws  can  alone  afford  a  satis- 
factory basis  for  the  consideration  of  the  phenomenal  changes 
which  inevitably  succeed  a  violation  of  these  laws.  The  better 
the  laws  of  health,  and  the  causes  and  symptoms  of  disease  are 
mastered,  the  reasons  for,  or  against,  any  line  of  practice  that 
may  be  recommended,  can  be  the  more  judiciously  reviewed, 
and  adopted  or  rejected,  with  just  confidence. 


18 


DEFINITIONS. 

The  foot  of  the  horse  admits  of  two  definitions  :  the  common, 
and  the  anatomical. 

The  common  implies  the  horny  extremity  of  the  limb,  and 
the  tissues  contained  within  it;  the  anatomical  applies  to  all 
the  structures  beyond  the  lower  joint  of  the  knee. 

It  is  in  its  common  acceptation  that  I  shall  use  the  term 
foot.  I  do  not  for  the  present  propose  to  enlarge  my  scope  of 
inquiry  beyond  the  limits  implied  in  this  term,  except  by  way 
of  explanation  or  illustration  of  doctrine  concerning  the  func- 
tions of  the  pedal  organ.  Indeed,  I  fear  that  I  shall  be  found, 
even  within  these  limits,  to  tax  the  endurance  of  my  readers 
very  considerably,  whether  professional  or  not,  as  I  find  it  im- 
possible to  do  justice  to  the  numerous  topics  of  discussion  that 
arise  out  of  a  consideration  of  the  foot  of  the  horse  in  its  varied 
aspects  of  structure  and  function  by  any  very  summary  style 
of  treatment. 

THE  EXTERNAL  STRUCTURES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

The  external  structures  of  the  foot,  regarded  as  a  whole,  is 
called  the  hoof.  The  hoof  may  be  conveniently  divided  into 
the  wall,  sole,  bars,  frog,  and  frog-band. 


Figure  i. — View  of  the  Hoof  when  separated  from  its  interna/  attachments, 
a  a  a.  The  Wall  ;    b.  The  Coronary  Concavity  ;    c.  The  Horny  Plates  or  Laminae ; 
dd.  The   Internal  Commissures;  e.  The  Horny  Frog;  f.    The  Internal  Prominence  of 
the  Frog  corresponding  to  the  External  Cleft ;  gg.  Inner  Surface  of  the  Sole  ;   h.  The 
Frog-band. 


19 

THE  WALL 

i 

is  that  portion  of  the  hoof  which  is  visible  when  the  horse  is 
'standing.  The  different  portions  of  the  wall,  viewed  exter- 
nally, are  respectively  denominated  the  toe,  the  inner  or  outer 
toe,  the  quarters  and  the  heels;  terms  sufficiently  self-explan- 
atory. 

COMPOSITION1  OF  THE  WALL. 

The  great  body  of  the  wall  is  composed  of  a  dense  fibrous 
mass,  the  fibres  being  bound  together  by  a  glutinous  material 
•called  the  horny  matrix.  The  internal  surface  consists  wholly 
of  the  horny  matrix,  and  is  laminated. 

FORM  OF  THE  WALL. 

The  wall  presents  some  peculiarities  of  form,  which  it  is  not 
unimportant  to  be  familiar  with.  These  are  noticed  by  Turner 
in  the  following  paragraph  : 

"  On  inspecting  the  unshod  foot  of  a  four-year-old  colt  (which 
is  fully  developed  at  that  period  of  life),  it  has  been  the  fashion 
for  veterinary  writers  to  consider  its  ground  surface  as  a  circle. 
To  this  I  have  much  objection,  having  always  been  struck  by 
the  great  inequality  of  its  two  sides,  not  only  as  to  the  addi- 
tional thickness  of  the  wall  of  the  outer  quarter  in  comparison 
to  the  inner,  but  the  still  greater  difference  in  compass  or  cir- 
cularity;  the  outer  quarter  furnishing  far  more  than  is  neces- 
sary to  form  the  half-circle,  while  the  inside  is  generally  much 
less  than  a  semi-circle.  This  bulge,  or  fine  luxuriant  growth 
of  the  outside  quarter  is  generally  most  apparent  toward  the 
heel,  not  only  forming  a  much  broader  basis  of  support  for  the 
superstructure  than  the  inside,  but  also  one  of  immense 
strength.  The  inside  column  of  wall  being  less  strong,  and 
yet  placed  more  immediately  under  the  centre  of  gravity,  it 
appears  to  me  quite  obvious  that  Nature  intended  the  outer 
quarter  should  serve  as  the  main  prop  of  support,  whilst  the 
inside  quarter,  in  proportion  to  the  weight  and  speed  of  the 
animal,  should  expand  and  oppose  concussion." 


20 

THE  SHAPE  OF  THE  WALL— DIFFICULT  TO  DESCRIBE. 

As  to  the  question  whether  the  general  form  of  the  foot  be 
cylindrical  or  cone-shaped,  I  agree  with  Spooner,  that  in, some 
horses  no  doubt  the  feet  are  cylindrical ;  but  as  in  the  great 
majority  of  hoofs,  and  particularly  those  which  we  consider  the 
best,  the  circle  at  the  upper  part  is  less  than  one  at  an  equal 
distance  lower  down,  we  shall  be  more  frequently  correct  if  we 
describe  it  as  the  "  frustum  of  a  cone,  the  base  and  summit 
of  which  have  been  intersected  by  two  oblique  planes."  The 
fact,  however,  is,  that  no  mathematical  figure  can  correctly 
describe  the  exact  shape  of  the  foot,  for  viewing  it  in  front  we 
may  pronounce  it  conical,  whilst  at  the  same  time  its  lateral 
aspect  may  be  that  of  a  cylinder. 

THE  CORONARY  CONCAVITY. 

On  the  inside  of  the  upper  margin  of  the  wall  is  to  be  seen 
a  concavity,  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  depth,  and  extend- 
ing throughout  the  entire  upper  circumference  of  the  wall.  This 
is  named  the  Coronary  Concavity,  and  by  some  the  Coronary 
Ring.  This  concavity  is  for  the  repose  of  the  organ  which  secretes 
the  fibrous,  and  therefore  the  principal  portion  of  the  wall,  and  is 
called  the  Coronary  Secretary  Substance.  On  the  surface  of 
the  Coronary  Concavity  may  be  seen,  by  the  naked  eye,  a  vast 
number  of  minute  perforations,  which  receive  the  secreting 
villi  of  the  Coronary  substance.  Quoting  Haycock  :  "  These  are 
the  commencement  of  the  horn  tubes  which  are  continued  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  hoof;  the  hoof,  in  part,  is  a  series 
of  minute  cylinders  or  hollow  tubes.  These  tubes  exist  in  im- 
mense numbers,  are  placed  side  by  side,  and  traverse  the  entire 
length,  or  rather  depth  of  the  horny  mass.  The  animal,  strange 
as  the  statement  may  appear,  stands  and  travels  upon  thou- 
sands of  cylinders,  all  arranged  with  extreme  regularity,  and 
held  together  by  a  common  glutinous  medium,  in  which  is  de- 
posited the  peculiar  pigment  giving  color  to  the  hoof." 

THENARS,  BRACES,  OR  BUTTRESSES  OF  THE  WALL. 

Another  portion  of  the  foot  has  received  the  names  of  Bars. 
Spooner  describes  them  as  a  continuation   of  the  wall,  being 


21 

similar  to  it  in  their  structure  and  appearance.  The  point 
where  the  inflection  or  doubling  inwards  of  the  wall  takes  place 
As  usually  called  the  angle  of  inflection.  The  Bars  extend  for- 
wards and  inwards  towards  the  apex  or  point  of  the  frog,  ter- 
minating just  before  reaching  it.  The  Bars  are  about  the 
same  thickness  as  the  wall  is  at  the  quarters,  and  their  greatest 
depth  is  about  an  inch,  gradually  lessening  toward  their  ter- 
mination. The  bars  act  as  braces  or  buttresses  in  forming  and 
supporting  the  heels  of  the  wall  upon  which  the  shoe  rests. 
The  wall  and  bars  constitute  the  boundary  of  the  sole  with 
which  they  have  a  strong  and  intimate  union. 

NO  ANGLE  OF  INFLECTION  IN  A  NORMALLY  SHAPED  FOOT. 

In  a  normally  healthy  foot,  the  inflection,  where  the  bars 
spring  from  the  wall,  is  of  a  rounded  rather  than  an  angular 
form.  Whenever  the  inflection  exhibits  a  strongly  marked 
angular  form,  I  regard  it  as  a  departure  from  the  standard  or 
normal  shape,  induced  by  a  contracted  or  shrunken  quarter.  It 
is  the  angular  form  that  produces  the  condition  termed  Corn.  I, 
therefore,  cannot  consider  the  term,  angle  of  inflection,  so  fre- 
quently used  by  writers  upon  the  foot,  as  correct,  if  applied  to 
a  normally  shaped  foot. 


Fig.  2.  Fig.  3. 

Figure  2. — A  Foot  with  open  heels  and  rounded  inflections. 
Figure  3. — A  Foot  with  contracted  heels  and  angular  inflections. 


THE  LAMINATED  INTERNAL  SURFACE  OF  THE  WALL. 

The  entire  inner  surface  of  the  wall  from  the  lower  edge  of 
the  coronary  concavity  to  the  line  of  junction  of  the  wall  with 
the  sole  is  covered  by  a  large  number  of  closely  set,  long,  thin, 


22 

narrow  leaves,  or  plates.  Their  form,  and  the  nature  of  this 
substance  has  given  them  the  name  of  horny  laminae.  In  the 
detached  hoof,  it  will  be  seen  that  one  longitudinal  edge  is 
free,  while  the  other  is  united  to  the  wall.  It  is,  indeed,  a  por- 
tion of  the  wall  itself,  frilled  as  it  were  into  the  form  we  view  it. 
By  means  of  these  plates,  averaging  about  500  in  number,  the 
wall  is  attached  to  the  internal  portion  of  the  foot,  namely,  to 
the  pedal  bone,  and  it  extends  to  the  lateral  and  inferior  car- 
tilages. Besides  forming  an  attaching  medium  of  great  strength 
and  tenacity  and  large  extent,  they  subserve  other  important 
purposes  which  will  be  referred  to  a  little  further  on  when  re- 
viewing these  functions  more  particularly. 


THE  EPIDERMIS,  OR  CUTICLE  OF  THE  WALL. 

A  not  unimportant  constituent  of  the  wall  is  its  extreme  ex- 
ternal coating.  Physiologists  tell  us  that  the  normal  hoof  is 
covered  by  a  layer  of  a  silicious  material  resembling  that  upon 
the  outer  surface  of  straw,  and  that  it  fulfils  a  similar  function 
to  the  wall  of  the  foot  as  that  of  the  epidermis  or  cuticle,  to 
the  dermis  or  true  skin.  The  healthy  foot  is  able  to  secrete 
and  maintain  a  degree  of  moisture  compatible  with  the  exis- 
tence of  toughness  and  resiliency  in  its  outer  structures,  and 
any  excess  or  deficiency  of  moisture  is  equally  pernicious  to  a 
healthy  foot. 

The  former  is  promoted  by  the  injudicious  use  of  the  knife 
and  rasp,  conjoined  with  soaking,  stopping,  poulticing,  etc., 
while  the  latter  is  the  result  of  the  same  unreasoning  process 
of  rasping  and  paring,  with  the  soaking  and  stopping  omitted. 
Whenever  the  epidermic  covering  is  removed  by  the  rasp,  as  is 
too  frequently  the  case,  undue  evaporation  takes  place,  and 
the  hoof  becomes  the  very  opposite  of  what  it  should  be,  under 
the  combined  influences  of  inordinate  exhalation  of  moisture, 
and  the  heat  of  the  sun,  or  an  unusually  dry  atmosphere.  The 
subject  is  suggestive  of  much  more  that  might  be  said,  but  must 
be  reserved  for  future  consideration. 


23 


THE  HORNY  SOLE  AND  ITS  FUNCTIONS. 

The  horny  sole,  the  organized  foundation,  the  chief  weight- 
'sustainer  of  the  animal  frame,  constitutes  the  whole  of  the 
plantar  surface,  not  occupied  by  the  edge  of  the  wall,  includ- 
ing its  inflections,  the  bars,  and  the  external  frog.  Its  line  of 
junction  with  its  boundary  wall  may  be  traced  by  a  white  line 
or  zone,  which  Mr.  Fleming,  I  believe,  has  been  the  first  to 
notice  in  print. 

A  detached  sole  presents  the  remarkable  peculiarity  of  a 
deep  indentation  in  the  general  form  of  an  isosceles  triangle,, 
its  base  being  placed  posteriorly,  and  its  apex  extending  fully 
two-thirds  of  the  distance  from  its  base  to  the  anterior  margin 
of  the  sole. 


Figure  4. — External  View  of  the  Horny  Sole. 

Microscopic  anatomists  describe  the  horny  sole  as  fibrous  in 
its  inner  substance,  the  fibres  taking  an  oblique  direction  for- 
wards and  downwards,  corresponding  to  that  of  the  fibres  of 
the  wall,  and  gradually  changing  into  squamous  incrustations, 
somewhat  similar  to  the  epidermis  of  the  skin  as  it  approaches 
its  external  limits. 

The  horny  sole  is  secreted  by  the  vascular  and  sensitive  sole, 
and  in  the  same  manner  as  the  wall  is  secreted  by  the  coronary 
band,  by  tufts  or  villi  that  penetrate  the  horny  fibres.  The 
wall  wastes  by  attrition  when  the  animal  is  unshod ;  the  sole 
and  the  frog,  by  exfoliation. 


24 

Of  other  peculiarities  of  construction  of  the  sole,  I  prefer  to 
give  them  in  the  words  of  an  able  disquisitionist  upon  the 
equine  foot,  Professor  Gamgee,  Senr. 

THE  HORNY  SOLE— PECULIARITIES  OF  STRUCTURE. 

"  The  sole  is  thickest  at,  and  is  strongly  connected  anteriorly, 
and  in  its  two  posterior  terminations,  where  it  is  so  strongly 
inverted  by  the  inflections  of  the  wall,  as  to  be  incapable  of 
direct  dislocation  by  any  means,  whilst  the  parts  remain  in 
their  integrity,  viz.,  not  cut  away  or  weakened.  The  inflected 
wall,  which  according  to  prevailing  notions  is  called  'the  bars,' 
constitutes  for  all  essential  purposes  an  inner  wall,  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  outer  wall ;  these  minor  inflections  have  no 
such  abrupt  terminations,  as  their  outer  appearance  at  first 
sight  indicates,  or  as  seems  to  be  the  case  by  the  laminated 
attaching  inner  surface;  the  same  inflected  wall  forms  the 
inner  boundary  of  the  two  lateral  divisions  of  the  sole  poste- 
riorly, and  it  is  by  these  that  the  strength  of  the  sole  is  con- 
tributed, and  its  arched  form  perfected." 

THE  HORNY  FROG  AND  ITS  FUNCTIONS. 

The  Horny  Frog  is  triangular  in  shape,  and  occupies  the 
triangular  cleft  in  the  sole.  Quoting  from  Fleming  :  "  In  the 
middle  of  the  posterior  part  is  a  cleft,  which  in  the  healthy 
state  should  not  be  deep,  but  rather  shallow  and  sound  on  its 
surface.  In  structure,  this  body  is  also  fibrous,  the  fibres  pass- 
ing in  the  same  direction  as  those  of  the  other  portions  of  the 
hoof;  but  instead  of  being  quite  rectilinear  like  them,  they  are 
wavy  or  flexuous  in  their  course,  and  present  some  micros- 
copical peculiarities,  which,  though  interesting  to  the  compar- 
ative anatomist,  need  not  be  alluded  to  here.  The  fibres  are 
finer  than  those  of  the  sole  and  wall,  and  are  composed  of  cells 
arranged  in  the  same  manner  as  elsewhere  in  the  hoof;  they 
are  formed  by  the  villi  which  thickly  stud  the  face  of  the  mem- 
brane covering  the  sensitive  frog." 


25 

PECULIAR  PROPERTIES  OF  THE  FROG. 

The  substance  of  the  horny  frog  is  eminently  elastic,  and 
.corresponds  in  the  closest  manner  to  the  dense  elastic  epider- 
mic pads  on  the  soles  of  the  feet  of  such  animals  as  the  camel, 
elephant,  lion,  bear,  dog,  cat,  etc. ;  and  which  are  evidently 
designed  for  contact  with  the  ground,  the  support  and  protec- 
tion of  the  tendons  that  flex  the  foot,  to  facilitate  the  springing 
movements  of  these  creatures,  and  for  the  prevention  of  jar 
and  injury  to  the  limbs.  In  the  horse's  foot,  the  pressure  of 
this  thick,  compressible  and  supple  mass  of  horn  at  the  back 
of  the  hoof,  in  a  healthy  unmutilated  condition,  and  permitted 
to  reach  the  ground  while  the  animal  is  standing  or  moving, 
are  absolutely  essential  to  the  well-being  of  that  organ,  more 
especially  should  speed,  in  addition  to  weight-carrying  be 
exacted. 

'  The  frog  like  the  sole  exfoliates,  or  becomes  reduced  in 
thickness  at  a  certain  stage  of  its  growth;  the  flakes  are  more 
cohesive  than  those  of  the  sole. 

THE  INTERNAL  APEX  OF  THE  HORNY  FROG. 

It  must  be  remarked,  however,  that  this  exfoliation  of  the 
sole  and  frog  only  takes  place  when  the  more  recently  formed 
horn  beneath  has  acquired  sufficient  hardness  and  density  to 
sustain  contact  with  the  ground,  and  exposure  to  the  effects  of 
heat,  dryness  and  moisture. 

The  cleft  of  the  frog  penetrates  some  distance  into  the  foot 
and  terminates  in  a  horny  prominence  which  I  am  accustomed 
to  regard  as  the  internal  apex.  This  prominence,  by  its  pointed 
character  and  upward  direction  when  one  or  both  heels  are 
contracted  or  shrunken  and  the  frog  is  of  small  dimensions, 
plays  a  very  important  part  in  the  production  of  lameness. 
This,  however,  I  will  not  dwell  upon  here. 

A  REMARKABLE  APPENDAGE  TO  THE  FROG. 

The  frog-band  or  stay  was  first  dissected  out  and  described  by 

Bracy  Clark.     Mr.  Fleming  designates  it  by  the  more  technical 

c 


26 

term  "  Periople."  I  at  one  time  shared  the  opinion  of  my  pre- 
ceptor in  anatomy,  that  the  frog-band  was  more  a  matter  of 
fancy  than  of  fact,  and  that  many  ingenious  carvings  could  be 
made  out  of  a  horse's  hoof.  I  have,  however,  a  very  well 
marked  specimen  in  which  the  band  shows  its  true  character 
without  any  carving  whatever,  by  the  simple  process  of  drying 
and  partial  separation.  A  thin  leather  strap  made  to  encircle 
the  hoof  around  its  superior  border,  each  end  embedding  itself 
into  the  substance  of  the  frog,  it  seems  to  me,  may  convey  an 
idea  of  its  structure  and  uses.  To  my  view  it  is  precisely  anal- 
ogous in  its  purposes  to  those  of  the  strap  that  embraces  the 
human  instep  and  gives  support  to  a  clog,  that  is  sometime 
worn,  particularly  by  ladies.  A  few  moments  reflection  upon 
the  slender  character  of  the  attachments  of  the  frog  at  its  pos- 
terior portions  will  show  the  necessity  for  the  existence  of  some 
such  an  arrangement  as  this.  The  following  is  Mr.  Fleming's 
description  of  this  structure  : 

"The  Coronary  jFrog-Band,  or  '"PeriopleJ  is  a  continuation  of 
the  more  superficial  layer  of  the  skin  around  the  coronet  and 
heels,  in  the  form  of  a  thin,  light  colored  band,  that  descends 
to  a  variable  depth  on  the  outer  surface  of  the  wall,  and  at  the 
back  part  of  the  hoof  becomes  consolidated  with  the  frog,  with 
which  it  is  identical  in  structure  and  texture.  It  can  be  readily 
perceived  in  the  hoof  that  has  not  been  mutilated  by  the  far- 
rier's rasp,  extending  from  the  coronet,  where  the  hair  ceases, 
to  some  distance  down  the  hoof;  it  is  thickest  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  wall,  and  gradually  thins  away  into  the  finest  im- 
aginable film  as  it  approaches  the  lower  circumference  of  this 
part.  When  wet  it  swells  and  softens,  and  on  being  dried 
shrinks,  sometimes  cracks  in  its  more  dependent  parts,  or  be- 
comes scaly. 

The  fibres  composing  it  are  very  fine  and  wavy,  as  in  the 
frog;  they  likewise  spring  from  villi  which  project  from  the 
true  skin  immediately  above  the  "coronary  cushion."  The 
use  of  this  band  would  appear  to  be  two-fold ;  it  connects  the 
skin  with  the  hoof,  and  thus  makes  the  union  of  these  two  dis- 
similar textures  more  complete,  its  intermediate  degree  of  den- 


27 

sity  and  its  great  elasticity  admirably  fitting  it  for  this  office; 
and  it  acts  as  a  covering  or  protection  to  the  wall  at  its  upper 
part,  where  this  is  only  in  process  of  formation,  and  has  not 
sufficient  resistance  to  withstand  the  effects  of  exposure  to  the 
weather.  The  greatest  thickness  and  density  of  the  band  cor- 
responds to  the  portion  of  the  wall  in  which  the  villi  ox  vascular 
tufts  are  lodged,  and  here  the  horn  is  soft,  delicate,  and  readily 
acted  upon  in  an  injurious  manner,  by  external  influences." 

Elsewhere  he  writes  of  its  uses,  and  abuses  : 

"  The  thin,  semi-translucent  horn  that  extends  in  a  somewhat 
wide,  whitish-colored  band,  around  the  upper  band  of  the  foot, 
is  chiefly  intended  by  Nature,  I  think,  to  protect  the  fibres  of 
the  wall  from  the  effects  of  external  physical  influences,  such  as 
heat  and  dryness,  while  they  are  being  secreted,  or  so  immature 
as  to  be  incapable  of  resisting  these  influences ;  for  it  will  be 
remembered  that  the  wall  is  formed  at  the  coronet,  and  this 
covering  guarantees,  not  only  the  integrity  of  the  newly-made 
horn-tubes,  but  also  maintains  the  secreting  vessels  that  enter 
them,  in  a  healthy  condition,  and  competent  to  supply  fresh 
material  for  wear.  The  destruction  of  this  band,  and  the  rasp- 
ing of  the  fibres  beneath  it,  is  detrimental  to  the  healthy  secre- 
tion of  the  wall  fibres,  and  leads  to  the  same  result  that  paring 
the  sole  was  shown  to  do:  shrinking  of  the  horn  tubes  con- 
taining the  tufts  of  vessels,  wasting  of  these,  a  diminished 
supply  of  horny  material  in*  consequence,  and  a  thin  brittle 
wall  that  scarcely  appears  to  grow  down  at  all,  in  depth  or 
thickness,  and  barely  allows  a  shoe  to  be  attached  to  it.  Sand- 
crack  and  other  diseased  conditions  of  this  part  of  the  hoof  are 
mainly  due  to  this  cause."  To  all  of  which  I  yield  an  unqual- 
ified assent,  excepting  the  last  clause.  Ascribing  as  I  do  the 
chief  proximate  cause  of  quarter-crack  to  contraction  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  quarter,  and  outward  pressure  upon  the 
upper,  I  am  willing  only  to  accept  brittleness  of  hoof,  etc.,  as 
predisposing  or  secondary  causes. 


28 


THE  INTERNAL  TISSUES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

ITS  PARTS  PARTICULARIZED. 

Having  described  the  component  parts  of  the  hoof,  or  exter 
nal  portion  of  the  foot,  we  will  proceed  to  the  consideration  of 
the  internal  structures  or  tissues  of  that  organ. 

The  first  division  of  these  is  into  solids  and  fluids.  Of  the 
solid  constituents  there  are  bones,  cartilages,  ligaments,  blood- 
vessels, nerves,  absorbents,  and  secreting  glands. 

The  Fluid  elements  comprise  the  blood,  synovia,  marrow, 
lymph,  and  the  various  glandular  secretions. 

The  Bones  consist  of  the  pedal,  navicular,  and  the  coronal. 

The  Cartilages  include  the  articular,  the  lateral  and  inferior. 

The  Ligamentous  Structures  comprehend  the  tendons  of 
muscles  that  are  inserted  into  the  bones  named,  the  lateral  and 
other  ligaments  of  the  foot-joint,  as  well  as  the  synovial,  cap- 
sular, periosteal,  and  perichondrial  membranes,  and  the  fibro- 
elastic  structures  of  the  wall  sole  and  frog. 

The  Blood-vessels  embrace  the  arteries,  capillaries  and  veins. 

The  Nerves — sentient  and  motory. 

The  Absorbents — superficial  and  deep-seated. 

The  Secreting  Textures — of  the  wall,  the  sole,  the  frog,  the 
frog-band,  the  solar  zone,  the  sebaceous  follicles,  and  the  per- 
spiratory exhalents. 

The  fluid  elements  are  sufficiently  categorized. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

CHEMICAL  CONSTITUTION  OF  BONE. 

Before  entering  upon  the  descriptive  anatomy  of  the  bones,  a 
brief  allusion  to  the  composition  and  characteristics  of  bone 
substance  may  not  be  unprofitable,  as  assisting  to  throw  light 
on  some  of  the  diseases  of  bone,  of  which  we  have  several 
•conspicuous  examples  in  the  organ  under  consideration. 


29 

The  two  principal  constituents  of  bone  are  cartilage  and 
phosphate  of  lime ;  the  proportions  of  the  former  being  about 
39  to  34  per  cent.,  and  that  of  the  latter,  from  50  to  60  per 
cent,  of  the  entire  bone.  The  bone-earth  may  be  dissolved 
out  by  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  (one  part  of  strong  acid  to  five 
parts  of  water).  The  cartilage  remains  unaffected  and  retains 
the  form  of  the  bone.  This  is  really  a  curiosity  which  may 
easily  be  obtained  in  the  manner  indicated. 

The  following  analysis  of  the  bone  of  a  healthy  horse  is  to 
be  found  in  Bowman's  Medical  Chemistry.  In  every  100  parts 
there  is 

Phosphate  of  Lime 54-37 

Carbonate  of  Lime 12 . 00 

Phosphate  of  Magnesia 1 .  83 

Soluble  Salts o. 70 

Cartilage 27  •  99 

Fat 3. 11 


100.00 


In  certain  morbid  conditions  of  bone  remarkable  changes 
take  place  in  their  chemical  composition,  in  which  the  earthy 
matters  are  so  deficient  th^t  they  no  longer  possess  the  rigidity 
and  strength  necessary  for  sustaining  the  weight  of  the  body. 
A  deficiency  of  the  cartilaginous  material  would  render  the 
bone  brittle,  and  liable  to  fracture  upon  the  slightest  occasion. 
The  former  condition  is  called  mollities  ossiwji,  the  latter  fragi- 
litas  ossium.  I  have  met  with  examples  of  both  conditions  in 
all  three  bones  of  the  feet  that  I  have  named.  In  healthy  bone 
phosphate  of  lime  predominates ;  in  exostoses,  carbonate  of 
lime  is  the  predominating  ingredient. 

GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  BONES. 

Bone,  when  recent,  is  covered  by  a  very  vascular  membrane 
called  the  periosteum.  The  periosteum  is  a  bed  for  the  ramifi- 
cation of  blood-vessels,  nerves,  absorbents,  and  is  prolonged 
into  the  Haversian  canals,  and  connects  itself  with  a  similar 
membrane  within  the  bone    named    the  endosteum.     "  Bones 


30 

are  endowed  with  vitality,  are  nourished,  grow,  waste,  and  are 
repaired,  and  undergo  various  mutations  according  to  the  age 
of  the  animal,  and  they  are  subject  to  diseases  analagous  to 
the  soft  parts." — Dadd. 

PARTICULAR  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

Enumerating  the  bones  of  the  foot  in  the  order  of  size,   the 

number  either  wholly  or  partially  within  the  foot  are  three, 

namely : 

i.  The  Os  Pedis. 

2.  The  Os  Corona. 

3.  The  Os  Naviculare. 

These  three  bones  enter  into  the  formation  of  the  foot-joint. 

1.    The  Os  Pedis,  Foot  or  Coffin-Bone. 

The  os  pedis  or  coffin-bone  belongs  to  the  class  of  irregular 
bones ;  it  possessing  such  a  remarkable  complexity  of  form. 
Viewing  it  in  front,  its  superior  outline  presents  an  eminence 
somewhat  like  a  pyramid  in  shape,  and  is  therefore  called  the 
pyramidal  process.  This  process  receives  the  insertion  of  the 
tendon  of  the  Extensor  Pedis  muscle  by  which  the  foot  is  ex- 
tended during  action.  Immediately  beneath  the  articular  sur- 
face that  corresponds  to  that  of  the  navicular  bone,  the  tendon 
of  the  flexor  pedis  perforans  is  inserted.  The  office  of  this 
muscle,  as  its  name  implies,  is  to  flex  the  foot. 

The  whole  of  the  anterior  surface  is  very  rough,  which  makes 
the  attachment  of  its  periosteal  membrane  the  more  firmly  ad- 
herent. Large  grooves  for  the  protection  of  the  larger  blood- 
vessels, the  nerves  and  the  absorbents,  as  well  as  holes  for  their 
passage  into  the  interior  of  the  bone  may  be  seen  upon  its 
lateral  surfaces.  Its  posterior  aspect  exhibits  two  surfaces  for 
articulating  with  the  coronal  and  navicular  bones. 

The  prolongations  of  the  bone  backward  on  either  side  are 
called  the  alae  or  wings  of  this  bone. 

The  inferior,  or  plantar  surface,  is  comparatively  smooth  and 
concave,  and  its  general  outline  corresponds  with  that  of  the 


31 

horny  sole,  having  a  deep  indentation  which  affords  space  for 
the  repose  of  the  principal  cushion,  or  the  thickest  portion  of 
Jhe  plantar  cushion  of  the  foot. 

In  view  of  the  functions  this  bone  is  destined  to  fulfill  in  the 
animal  economy,  it  may  be  instructive  to  note  some  of  its  more 
salient  properties. 

11  A  MOCKERY,  A  DELUSION,  AND  A  SNARE." 

I.     The  extreme  lightness  of  this  bone  in  comparison  to  its 
bulk  is  remarkable.     This  is  rendered  necessary  by  its  great 
distance  from  the  moving  power.     It  is  said  that  every  addi- 
tional ounce  added  to  the  foot  is  nearly  if  not  more  than  equal 
to  a  pound  at  the  shoulder.     If,  therefore,  we  would  economize 
the  vital  forces,  no  more  weight  should  be  placed  at  the  end 
of  the  foot  than  is  absolutely  necessary  to  insure  protection  to 
the  integrity  of  the  horny  tissues  in  horses  intended  for  speed. 
Concussion,  the  ready  apology  for  heavy  shoes,  can  be  better 
obviated  by  a  '  stout  sole  '  of  horn  than  by  a  heavy  rim  of  iron. 
If  concussion  were  the  only  danger  to  be  guarded  against,  this 
could  be  accomplished  better  without  the  intervention  of  the 
shoe  than  with  it.     I  grant  that  the  horse  with  a  thin  sole  and 
weak  foot  generally,  and  low  action,  will  go  better  at  relatively 
slow  paces,  with  a  comparatively  heavy  shoe.      It  does  obviate 
concussion  to  some  extent,  and  to  that  extent  and  under  those 
conditions  it  is  desirable ;  but  reverse  those  conditions,  place 
heavy  shoes  upon  a  sound  foot,  with  unimpaired  action,  and  a 
well-developed  horny  sole  and  frog,  and  they  become  "  a  mock- 
ery, a  delusion,  and  a  snare  "  to  both  the  horse  and  his  owner. 

These  objections  to  heavy  shoes  do  not  apply  to  the  trainers 
practice  of  using  toe-weights  for  the  purpose  of  regulating  or 
correcting  defective  action  in  trotting  horses.  In  such  cases, 
as  well  as  in  diseased  conditions,  any  and  every  measure  that 
will  accomplish  the  desired  purpose,  are,  of  course,  proper. 
They  are  useful  as  temporary  expedients  but  should  not  be 
regarded  as  permanent  natural  or  necessary  conditions. 


32 


THE  PEDESTAL  OF  THE  COLUMN. 


2.  It  is  the  last  bone  of  the  series,  which  compose  the  sup- 
porting structures  of  the  limb  ;  the  pedestal  of  the  column  that 
carries  the  superstructure.  It  therefore  spreads  out  in  accord- 
ance with  the  principle  of  mechanics  which  requires  a  sup- 
porting base  of  wider  proportions  than  the  shaft  it  sustains,  in 
order  to  give  stability  to  the  vertical  position. 

A  REMARKABLY  CONSTRUCTED  BONE. 

3.  This  bone  is  constructed  upon  the  plan  of  a  double  arch. 
It  is  a  well  known  physical  law  that  the  arched  form  affords 
the  greater  degree  of  strength  with  the  least  weight. 

The  arched  form  of  the  sole  resembles  the  concaved  surface 
of  a  dished  wheel  with  its  concave  surface  facing  the  ground. 

The  archiform  parieties  of  the  bone  are  the  best  calculated 
to  resist  forces  acting  against  it  in  various  directions  from 
which  dangers  may  come,  and  combines  the  lightness  neces- 
sary for  speed  with  the  strength  essential  to  endurance,  and 
protection  to  the  exceedingly  delicate  structures  and  processes 
within  it. 

ESSENTIAL  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  FOOT. 

The  safety  of  the  horse  in  his  natural  state,  depending  more 
upon  his  capabilities  for  flight  than  upon  the  resources  of  strat- 
agem, this  bone  appears  to  have  been  designed  primarily  for 
that  object.  "  No  foot,  no  horse,"  seems  to  have  been  the  motto 
of  its  Designer.  Double  walls  enguard  the  brain  from  external 
accidents.  Arched  ribs  enclose  and  shield  the  heart  and  lungs 
from  many  outward  casualties.  Scarcely  less  inferior  in  im- 
portance to  the  safety  of  the  animal,  is  the  organ  of  flight  par 
excellence,  and  that  is  endowed  with  a  doubly  vaulted  bone, 
that  receives  within  the  protecting  segis  of  its  recesses  a  won- 
derful assemblage  of  arteries,  capillaries,  veins,  nerves,  and 
absorbents  from  whence  they  emerge  in  various  directions  to 
play  the  part  assigned  them  in  the  general  economy. 


33 


THE  OS  CORON/E. 


This  bone  belongs  to  the  class  of  long  bones.  It  possesses 
the  peculiarities  of  having  no  medullary  canal,  and  of  being 
more  broad  than  long.  In  a  horse  of  medium  size  it  is  about 
an  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  two  inches  in  width.  Its 
general  form  is  cuboid.  It  articulates  superiorly  with  the  os 
suffraginis  or  large  pastern  bone ;  inferiorly  with  the  os  pedis 
and  navicular  bone.  Its  anterior  surface  is  rounded,  its  pos- 
terior, flattened. 

It  lies  partly  within  and  partly  without  the  hoof. 

The  tendon  of  the  Flexor  Pedis  Perforatus  is  inserted  into 
its  upper  posterior  border,  and  a  little  below  its  insertion  is  a 
transverse  flattened  eminence  covered  by  fibro-cartilage  which 
forms  a  gliding  surface  for  the  tendon  of  the  Perforans. 

In  blocky,  upright  feet,  this  bone  is  peculiarly  subject  to  the 
>3ti3  -affection  known  as  Ring-bone.  It  is  so  short  and  firmly 
braced  to  its  position  that  it  rarely  becomes  dislocated,  but  is 
not  quite  so  rarely  the  subject  of  fracture. 

OS  NAVICULARE. 

SYNONYMS — Navicular _Bone — Shuttle  Bone. 

This  bone  in  its  natural  position,  lies  transversely  between 
the  wings  of  the  coffin-bone.  It  averages  about  two  inches  in 
length  ;  half  an  inch  in  breadth ;  and  three  eighths  of  an  inch 
at  its  thickest  part.  It  has  three  surfaces  of  articulation,  the 
smallest  with  the  coffin  bone,  the  largest  with  the  perforans 
tendon  and  the  medial  sized  one  with  the  small  pastern.  It 
is  held  in  position  by  remarkably  strong  ligaments,  and  are 
respectively  named  the  interosseus  ligament  uniting  it  inferiorly 
with  the  coffin  bone ;  two  anterior,  and  two  posterolateral, 
that  unite  it  with  the  small  pastern.  Besides  these,  from  either 
end  of  the  bone  proceed  three  ligaments.  As  they  radiate 
from  the  end  of  the  bone  as  from  a  central  point,  they  are 
called  the  Stellate  ligaments. 

The  insertions  of  these  ligaments  embrace  about  half  a  circle, 
the  middle  ligament  going  straight  from  the  end  of  the  bone 


34 

to  the  highest  part  of  the  lateral  cartilage,  the  anterior  and 
posterior  stellates  going  respectively  to  the  most  anterior  and 
the  most  posterior  edge  of  the  same  cartilages. 

STELLATE  LIGAMENTS  AND  THEIR  USES. 

Let  us  philosophize  a  moment  upon  the  function  of  these 
stellate  ligaments.  A  familiar  illustration  of  their  use,  I  think, 
may  be  found  in  the  Stay-straps  we  see  under  the  bodies  of 
coaches  and  other  vehicles,  provided  with  springs,  and  intended 
to  be  driven  at  rapid  rates,  and  over  rough  roads.  Their  use  * 
is,  perhaps,  too  obvious  to  need  description.  A  sailor  would 
call  them  guy-ropes.  To  my  view,  these  stellate  ligaments 
have  a  similar  function.  They  materially  assist  in  keeping  the 
fulcrum,  that  is,  the  navicular  bone,  of  the  main  cord  that  flexes 
the  foot  in  exact  apposition  to  the  gliding  surface  of  that  cord ; 
otherwise,  rapid  motion  would  be  retarded.  From  whichever 
direction  the  disturbing  force  might  proceed,  there  is  a  species 
of  guy-rope  arrangeme?it  to  resist  it.  This  is  not  their  only  func- 
tion. Under  extraordinary  exertion  the  frog-structures  may 
condense  too  forcibly  and  rebound  too  strongly  to  be  altogether 
free  from  danger. 

They  then  possess  a  regulative  function.  More,  under  or- 
dinary circumstances,  when  there  is  no  excessive  action  to 
control,  they  form  powerful  auxiliaries  to  the  spring-like  move- 
ments of  the  elastic  structures.  The  frog-cushion  is  the  great 
spring-bed  of  the  foot.  The  lateral  cartilages,  one  on  each 
side,  constitute  a  pair  of  springs,  that  are  called  into  play 
through  the  medium  of  the  stellate  ligaments.  These  latter 
are  strong  and  unyielding,  while  the  lateral  cartilages  possess 
the  properties  of  flexibility  and  rebounding  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. I  think  it  impossible  to  conceive,  in  any  organized 
structure,  of  means  more  perfectly  adapted  to  ends  than  in 
the  structural  arrangements  of  the  stellate  ligaments. 


35 

CARTILAGINOUS  STRUCTURES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

These  structures  include, 

«  I.     The  Lateral  Cartilages. 

2.  The  Inferior  Cartilages. 

3.  The  Articular  Cartilages. 

THE  LATERAL  CARTILAGES. 

The  Lateral  Cartilages  are  the  two  cartilaginous  bodies 
already  referred  to  as  receiving  the  attachments  of  the  stellate 
ligaments  of  the  navicular  bone.  They  are  situated  upon  the 
superior  margin  of  the  wings  of  the  coffin  bone,  and  their 
position  as  regards  the  hoof  is  about  equally  within  as  without 
that  structure.  Their  superior  portions  can  easily  be  felt  and 
manipulated  by  the  fingers  in  the  living  subject,  and  the  ex- 
tent to  which  they  may  have  lost  their  flexibility  pretty  nearly 
ascertained.  Externally  they  are  convex,  internally  concave. 
Membranous  expansions  connect  them  with  the  extensor  ten- 
don and  the  coronal  bone  anteriorly.  Posteriorly  they  be- 
come thinner,  and  are  extended  downwards  and  inwards, 
imparting  roundness  and  flexibility  to  the  heels,  and  afford 
considerable  protection  to  those  parts  against  casualties  by 
their  characteristic  properties  of  firmness  and  resiliency. 

The  portion  of  these  cartilages  that  lies  in  apposition  to  the 
lamellated  structure  of  the  wall  has  corresponding  laminae  for 
connection  therewith.  From  the  inferior  extremities  of  these 
cartilages,  supplementary  ones  extend,  which  have  been  named 

INFERIOR  CARTILAGES 

and  False  Cartilages.  Mr.  Spooner  thus  describes  them : 
"  They  are  triangular  bodies,  and  somewhat  different  in  struc- 
ture from  the  lateral  cartilages.  They  proceed  from  the  lateral 
cartilages  (just  as  the  latter  reach  the  heels  of  the  coffin-bone) 
in  an  obliquely  forward  direction,  on  the  internal  and  inferior 
parts  of  the  wings  of  that  bone,  and  thus  afford  a  smooth  sur- 
face, which  is  covered  partly  by  the  sensible  laminae,  and  partly 
by  the  sensible  sole.  The  inferior  are  much  more  fibrous  in 
their  structure  than  Ihe  lateral  cartilages,  and  the  latter  become 


36 

less  cartilaginous  toward  their  upper  and  posterior  part."  If 
the  structure  of  a  tissue  is  any  indication  of  its  function,  as  I 
believe  it  will  be  found  to  be,  then  the  function  of  the  inferior 
cartilages  is  not  precisely  that  of  the  lateral  cartilages,  for  we 
find  the  former  much  more  fibrous  in  character  than  the  latter; 
and  it  is  remarkable  that  the  lateral  cartilages  themselves  pos- 
sess a  fibrous  border  where  the  stellate  ligaments  are  inserted, 
and  posteriorly  where  it  is  connected  with  the  inferior  cartil- 
ages it  assumes  a  more  fibrous  character  generally.  The  infer- 
ence is  irresistable,  drawn  from  the  structure  of  these  cartilages 
alone,  that  the  lateral  cartilages  fulfill  the  office  of  a  pair  of  side 
springs,  having  the  property  of  yielding  and  rebounding  with 
every  motion  of  the  foot,  and  aiding  and  regulating  in  some 
measure  the  vertical  movements  of  the  elastic  tissues  of  the 
frog,  through  the  medium  of  the  stellate  ligaments  superiorly, 
while  inferiorly  it  is  kept  in  position,  aided,  and  undue  move- 
ments controlled  by  the  strong  and  comparatively  unyielding 
character  of  the  inferior  cartilages. 

The  lateral  cartilages  are  subject  to  ossification,  that  is  to 
say,  of  becoming  converted  partially  or  wholly  into  bone.  En- 
largements are  not  unfrequently  met  with,  of  one  or  both  car- 
tilages. These  are  not  necessarily  ossifications,  but  they  are 
evidences  of  a  derangement  of  structure  and  function,  the 
causes  of  which  will  be  discussed  further  on. 

The  lateral  and  inferior  cartilages  are  covered  by  a  dense 
tough  membrane  called  the  perichondrium,  which  performs  a 
similar  office  for  cartilaginous  to  that  of  the  periosteum  for 
osseous  structures. 

ARTICULAR  CARTILAGE. 

This  is  sometimes  referred  to  as  cartilage  of  encrustation, 
because  this  particular  kind  is  only  to  be  found  encrusting  or 
adhering  to  the  articular  surfaces  of  bones.  As  some  theorists 
on  the  pathology  of  navicularthritis  deem  this  disease  to  have 
its  origin,  as  a  rule,  in  the  disorganization  of  this  structure  it 
may  not  be  uninstructive  to  learn  somewhat  of  its  nature  and 
uses. 


37 


BUFFERS  AND  GLIDING  SURFACES. 

Bones  are  the  solid  frame-work  of  the  whole  body  and  pos- 
sess but  little  elasticity. 

These  supporting  and  moving  structures  being  also  in  sec- 
tions and  destined  to  move  freely  upon  the  ends  of  each  other, 
would  have  been  peculiarly  liable  to  concussion,  and  their 
moving  surfaces  susceptible  to  attrition  but  for  the  interven- 
tion of  a  substance  of  such  a  nature  that  would  fully  meet  both 
requirements.  Such  a  substance  we  have  in  articular  cartilage. 
It  combines  those  properties  in  the  most  eminent  degree,  that 
break  the  violence  of  concussion,  and  by  its  extremely  smooth 
and  glass-like  surface,  with  the  aid  of  the  synovial  fluid  as  a 
lubricator  enables  the  moving  surfaces  to  glide  on  each  other 
with  the  greatest  facility.  Its  anti-concussive  functions  may 
be  likened  to  those  of  the  buffers  upon  the  different  sections  of 
a  railway  train ;  while  its  free-gliding  purposes  may  be  fitly 
illustrated  by  those  of  the  smooth  portions  of  the  axle  trees 
upon  which  the  train  moves. 

ARTICULAR  CARTILAGE;    REMARKABLE  CHARACTERISTICS. 

It  is  remarkable  too,  that  no  nerves  or  blood-vessels  are 
found  in  articular  cartilage,  while  they  are  found  in  all  other 
kinds  of  cartilage.  Why  is  this  ?  Because  it  would  be  incom- 
patible with  the  exercise  of  its  functions  if  it  possessed  either 
sensibility  or  vascularity.  In  the  former  case,  every  jar  or 
quick  movement  would  be  necessarily  attended  by  pain ;  and 
in  the  latter  the  vessels  would  be  liable  to  rupture  and  extra- 
vasation of  their  contents,  when  the  weight  of  the  animal  was 
thrown  upon  these  structures. 

As  nutrition  and  decay  are  necessary  and  constant  processes, 
the  nutrient  blood-vessels  that  supply  these  cartilages  approach 
them  as  closely  as  possible  at  their  base  from  the  interior  of 
the  bone  to  which  they  belong,  not  terminating  in  the  cartilage, 
but  abutting  against  their  base  by  large  numbers  of  small  loops, 
the  cartilage  having  the  property  of  imbibing  their  nutrient 
particles  from  mere  contact  with  the  circular  terminations  of 


38 

these  vascular  loops,  by  the  process  called  cell-imbibition. 
The  cells  at  first  are  round,  but  gradually  acquire  a  flattened 
form,  until,  at  the  wearing  surface  they  become  very  dense  and 
horn-like  in  texture.  Like  as  in  the  hoof  and  epidermic  struct- 
tures,  the  outlying  particles  are  being  continually  pressed  upon 
toward  the  external  surface,  and  pass  off  in  the  processes  of 
wear  or  natural  decay.  In  such  a  case  absorbents  are  unne- 
cessary and  therefore  none  are  present.  The  due  secretion  of 
the  synovial  fluid  is  necessary  to  keep  the  gliding  surfaces 
of  these  cartilages  moist,  a  condition  necessary  to  the  perfect 
fulfillment  of  their  office  in  the  general  organization. 

In  chronic  disease  of  the  navicular  joint,  it  has  been  ocasion- 
ally  found  that  these  cartilages  have  become  abraded  from 
attrition,  and  in  some  instances  the  cartilaginous  covering  of 
the  navicular  bone  has  been  found  adhering  to  the  perforans 
tendon,  of  which  that,  bone  is  the  fulcrum  in  its  action  upon 
the  coffin-bone. 

A   KNOTTY  QUESTION. 

Scarcely  any  question  in  the  whole  range  of  veterinary  path- 
ological inquiry  has  excited  so  much  animated  discussion  and 
such  contrariety  of  opinion  as  that  of  the  proximate  cause  or 
causes  of  the  navicular-joint  disease.  Few,  even  amongst  the 
ablest  veterinary  pathologists  recognize  more  than  one  general 
proximate  cause  for  this  foot  affection  ;  and  there  is  not  a  tissue 
entering  into  the  composition  of  the  joint,  which  has  not  its 
advocates  for  its  claims  to  consideration  as  the  chief  tissue  in- 
volved in  this  complaint.  Some  view  it  as  proceeding  exclu- 
sively from  internal  and  other  from  external  causes.  The 
bones,  the  cartilages,  the  synovia  or  its  secreting  membrane, 
the  perforans  tendon,  hereditary  predisposition,  mal-nutrition, 
atrophy,  concussion,  etc.,  all  have  their  separate  claims  put 
forward  by  one  writer  after  another  for  the  bad  pre-eminence 
of  being  the  chief  proximate  cause  of  this  equine  curse.  But 
I  must  not  digress  too  far  from  the  main  course  of  my  subject 
or  anticipate  my  own  theory  too  soon.  To  be  able  satisfac- 
torily to  dispose  of  conflicting  hypotheses,  it  is  important  that 


39 

we  should  thoroughly  understand  the  nature  and  uses  of  every 
tissue  that  compose  the  foot.  The  articular  cartilages  are  sub- 
ject to  abrasion  from  a  lack  of  synovia;  to  ossification  from 
perverted  nutrition ;  to  ulceration  from  its  propinquity  to  the 
ulcerative  process  in  the  bone  when  present,  and  to  adhesion 
to  the  perforans  tendon,  when  the  latter  is  the  subject  of  in- 
flammation which  is  followed  by  a  lymphy  exudation. 

THE  LIGAMENTOUS  TEXTURES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

These  textures  comprise  : 

1.  The  coronary  ligament. 

2.  The  periosteum  and  endosteum  of  bones. 

3.  The  tendons  and  tendinous  expansions  of  muscles. 

4.  The  perichondrial  membranes. 

5.  The  synovial  membranes. 

6.  The  ligaments  that  brace  joints. 

7.  The  areolar  or  connective  tissues. 

THE  CORONARY  LIGAMENT. 

Sui generis  amongst  ligamentous  textures  is  the  coronary  lig- 
ament. It  is  variously  designated  as  the  coronary  ligament, 
ba'nd,  or  substance.  I  presume  there  has  been  some  difficulty, 
from  the  peculiarity  of  its  structure,  in  denning  its  true  place 
in  the  category  of  foot-textures.  As  it  is  most  frequently  re- 
ferred to  as  the  coronary  ligament,  I  have  placed  it  under  the 
head  of  ligamentous  textures,  with  the  above  remark  as  to  its 
anomalous  classification. 


^FUNCTIONS   OF  THE  CORONARY  LIGAMENT. 

The  locale  of  this  ligament  is  the  coronary  concavity,  just 
inside  of  the  superior  margin  of  the  wall.  It  is  the  principal 
medium  of  connection  between  the  skin  and  the  hoof.  It 
appears  to  be  transitional  in  its  character,  partaking  somewhat 
of  the  characters  of  both.  Its  surface  towards  the  wall  is  papil- 
lated,  and  each  papilla  penetrates  a  horn  tube,  or  fibre,  of 
which  the  fibrous  portion  of  the  wall  is  made  up.  It  is  affirmed 
by  one  writer,  Mr.  Fleming,  that  the  entire  wall  is  secreted  by 


40 

this  ligament.     This,  of  course,  would  include  the  horny  lam- 
inae.    I  dissent  from  this  opinion  for  the  following  reasons: 

The  wall  is  composed  of  two  kinds  of  material,  the  fibrous, 
and  a  non-fibrous  matrix,  which  bind  the  fibres  firmly  into  the 
solid  mass  of  horn  which  constitutes  the  wall  of  the  foot.  I 
am  not  aware  of  any  secreting  structure  that  secretes  more 
than  one  specific  secretion  in  a  healthy  acting  condition.  But 
if  there  should  be,  it  would  not  be  a  sufficient  reason  for 
attributing  the  functions  of  secreting  two  such  widely  different 
substances  as  compose  the  walls,  to  the  coronary  secreting  lig- 
ament. Each  fibre  of  the  wall  is  fed  by  its  connecting  papilla. 
Besides,  we  are  not  left  in  doubt  as  to  where  the  matrix  comes 
from.  I  think  that  is  just  as  demonstrable  as  the  source  of 
the  horny  fibres.  The  vascular  laminae  have  not  a  merely  me- 
chanical connection  with  the  non-vascular  horny  laminae — but 
a  secreting  function,  and  it  is  from  this  source  that  the  homo- 
geneous or  non-fibrous  portion  of  the  wall  is  derived.  If  an 
experimental  proof  of  this  is  demanded,  examples  are  numerous 
enough  in  cases  of  False-Quarter,  and  those  cases  where  the 
hoof  has  been  torn  off  by  violence  and  the  coronary  ligament 
partially  or  wholly  destroyed.  In  False-Quarter,  for  instance, 
the  coronary  ligament  is  injured  or  destroyed,  and  we  have  but 
a  thin  non-fibrous  horny  secretion  composing  the  quarters, 
frequently  too  weak  to  sustain  the  weight  of  the  animal,  which 
could  come  from  no  other  source  than  the  vascular  laminae. 

« 

REASONS  VERSUS  IPSE  DIXITS. 

In  cases  where  the  entire  hoof  has  been  torn  off  while  the 
vascular  laminae  remain  otherwise  uninjured,  a  non-fibrous 
horny  material  will  be  deposited  all  over  the  sensitive  laminae 
in  a  few  weeks.  Does  this  come  from  the  coronary  ligament? 
It  can  not,  as  ten  or  twelve  months  will  scarcely  suffice  for  the 
growth  of  horn  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  foot.  I 
think  these  experimental  facts  too  well  known  to  need  any 
further  exemplification.  Mr.  Fleming,  in  his  recent  work  on 
Practical  Horse-shoeing,  asserts  that  the  latter  view  is  an  error, 
"  as  the  microscope,  physiology,  and  pathological  experience, 


41 

abundantly  testify."  This  is  all  the  refutation  he  has  con- 
descended to  give  to  this  alleged  error.  Supposing  it  to  be  an 
'error;  it  can  hardly  be  expected,  that  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  do  their  own  thinking,  to  weigh  the  opinions  of  others 
for  themselves,  and  to  rely  on  their  own  pathological  experience, 
when  they  have  any,  will  readily  abandon  their  opinions  with- 
out a  single  reason  being  advanced  or  a  particle  of  evidence 
adduced  to  show  that  they  are  erroneous,  beyond  the  mere 
ipse  dixit  of  any  writer,  however  eminent  he  may  be  as  an 
authority  in  some  respects.  I  repeat,  the  principal  function  of 
the  coronary  ligament  is  to  secrete  the  fibrous  portion  of  the 
wall.  It  is  extremely  vascular  and  highly  elastic.  The  for- 
mer quality  is  necessary  to  supply  the  demands  of  rapid  wear 
and  tear  to  which  the  wall  is  subject  especially  in  the  unshod 
foot,  and  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  the  structure  it  secretes  ; 
the  latter  to  adapt  it  to  the  expansive  and  contractile  move- 
ments of  the  foot  when  in  action,  or  when  weight  is  super- 
imposed upon,  or  removed  from  the  limb.  Although  in  appear- 
ance a  thickening  of  the  terminal  portion  of  the  skin,  it  has  a 
peculiar  and  distinct  organization  to  adapt  it  to  its  very  im- 
portant purposes.  The  inner  layer  is  a  strong  white  elastic 
structure  which  forms  its  principal  thickness.  Upon  this 
reposes  a  very  numerous  accumulation  of  blood-vessels,  and 
external  to  these  a  thin  coat  from  which  proceed  the  secreting 
villi  of  the  wall.  The  attachments  of  these  villi  in  the  living 
structure  must  be  of  a  very  powerful  nature,  as  there  is  no 
other  visible  connection  between  the  hoof  and  the  skin  except 
the  areolar  or  connective  tissue,  which  bind  it  but  in  no  very 
especial  manner  to  all  the  subjacent  structures.  The  growth 
of  the  wall  is  in  every  respect  similar  to  the  growth  of  the 
human  nail. 

THE  PERIOSTEAL  AND  ENDOSTEAL  MEMBRANES. 

These  structures  are  the  dense  white-fibrous  and  non-elastic 
membranes,  the  former  of  which  constitutes  the  external  cover- 
ing,  and  the  latter  the  internal  lining  of  bones.     They  are 

D 


42 

connected  by  prolongations  of  their  substance  through  small 
conduits  in  the  bone  called  the  Haversian  canals.  Their  func- 
tion is  to  give  support  to  the  bone  within  and  without,  and  to 
furnish  a  bed  whereon  the  nerves,  blood-vessels,  and  absorbents 
can  ramify.  Bones  are  most  amply  supplied  with  nutrient 
materials  by  these  means,  and  their  disintegrated  particles 
probably  carried  away  by  the  absorbents.  I  say,  probably,  be- 
cause some  physiologists  consider  it  doubtful,  at  least,  whether 
absorbent  vessels  exist  in  bone.  The  coronal  and  navicular 
bones  present  nothing  exceptional  as  regards  their  periosteal 
coverings,  but  there  is  a  very  remarkable  peculiarity  concern- 
ing the  periosteum  of  the  coffin-bone  which  I  think  throws 
much  light  upon  the  constitution  and  functions  of  the  sensitive 
laminae,  a  just  appreciation  of  which  has  a  most  important 
bearing  upon  the  question  of  shoeing,  either  in  health  or 
disease.  Microscopic  "  anatomy,  physiology,  and  pathological 
experience,"  perfectly  harmonize  in  the  views  I  have  taken 
upon  this  master  question  of  the  foot,  and  the  practical  meas- 
ures I  have  based  upon  them. 

THE  SENSITIVE  LAMINAE. 

Mr.  Spooner  says :  "  The  sensitive  laminae  are  somewhat 
similar  in  appearance,  but  very  different  in  structure  to  the  horny 
laminae,  with  which  they  are  connected  by  a  dove-tailed  union, 
each  horny  plate  being  received  between  two  sensible  plates, 
and  vice  versa.  They  are  firmly  attached  by  means  of  elastic  (?) 
membranous  structure  to  the  irregular  surface  of  the  os  pedis ; 
and  are  also  continued  on  the  lower  position  of  the  side  car- 
tilages, where  they  correspond  to  the  horny  laminae,  on  the 
inside  of  the  bars  of  the  foot.  The  sensitive  laminae,  as  their 
name  imports,  are  extremely  sensitive  and  vascular,  and  as  Mr. 
Percival  says,  are  composed  of  a  double  transparent  ?nembrane, 
plaited  as  it  were  around  the  bone,  so  that  one  of  the  sides  of 
each  laminae  is  in  close  contact  with  another,  and  the  other 
side  opposed  to  a  horny  lamina.  The  sensible  laminae  used  to 
be  considered  as  highly  elastic,  and  writer  after  writer  having 


43 

copied  from  each  other,  without  examining  for  themselves,  the 
error  was  perpetuated  until  Mr.  Percival  demonstrated  that 
'  the  elasticity  was  not  inherent  in  the  laminae  but  in  the  sub- 
stance connecting  them  with  the  coffin-bone  which  possesses 
highly  elastic  properties,  and  affords  a  convenient  bed  for  the 
numerous  blood-vessels  which  secrete  the  laminae." 

AN  UNDETERMINED  QUESTION. 

In  this  connection  the  late  Prof.  Spooner,  in  the  course  of 
his  lectures,  stated  substantially  as  follows  :  "  The  precise 
nature  of  the  union  between  the  vascular  and  horny  laminae 
is  not  yet  established.  I  believe  it  will  be  found  upon  more 
extended  microscopic  investigation  to  be  similar  to,  if  not  iden- 
tical with  that  of  the  chorion  of  the  foetus,  and  the  tunica  decidua 
uteri  of  the  uterus.  The  same  kind  of  union  also  exists  between 
the  dermis  and  epidermis.  Whatever  doubts  may  exist  as  to 
the  histological  character  of  this  union,  what  is  certainly  known 
is  that  the  union  is  a  vascular  and  vital,  not  a  mechanical  one, 
and  that  it  is  one  of  extreme  delicacy,  and  ill-calculated  to 
bear  the  tremendous  burden  the  weight  of  the  animal  would 
impose  upon  it." 

THE   INTERPERIOSTEAL  PAD. 

It  will  not  be  difficult  to  perceive  where  this  apparent  power 
of  elongation  comes  from,  when  the  peculiar  structure  of  the 
periosteum  of  the  coffin-bone  is  fully  comprehended.  As  shown 
by  Percival  it  is  a  double  membrane,  the  union  of  which  is 
attached  to  the  irregular  surface  of  the  coffin  bone,  and  the 
outer  presents  a  plaited  or  frilled  surface.  Between  this  inner 
and  outer  membrane,  a  layer  of  elastic  material  is  interposed,, 
which,  like  most  other  structures  of  the  foot,  answers  a  two- 
fold purpose.  It  furnishes  a  nidus  or  bed  for  the  safe  repose 
of  the  vessels  and  nerves  that  ramify  upon  the  laminae,  and 
particularly  those  which  are  engaged  in  the  work  of  secreting, 
the  horny  laminae.  The  frilled  or  laminated  arrangement 
affords  abundance  of  space  for  these  vessels  and  nerves  as  they 


44 

proceed  to  the  various  points  of  contact  and  union  with  the 
horny  laminae,  and  will  yet  admit  of  a  certain  amount  of  separ- 
ation of  the  outer  from  the  inner  portion  of  the  membrane, 
allowing  certain  movements  of  the  foot  to  be  effected  without 
any  undue  strain  of  the  filamentous  and  vascular  connections 
of  the  laminae.  This  elastic  material'  I  shall  have  frequent 
occasion  to  allude  to  again  as  the  interperiosteal  tissue,  or  pad. 

RELATIVE  WEIGHTS  SUSTAINED   BY   FORE  AND   HIND  LIMBS. 

In  further  elucidation  of  the  functions  of  the  laminae,  quoting 
Spooner : 

"  Let  us  consider  the  vast  weight  supported  by  each  leg,  and 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  distributed.  The  weight  of  a 
moderate  sized  horse  is  about  twelve  hundred  weight ;  this, 
when  the  animal  is  standing  is  supported  by  the  fore  and  hind 
legs  in  the  proportion  of  two-thirds  by  the  former  and  one- 
third  by  the  latter.  When  the  horse  is  in  motion,  say  trotting, 
this  weight  is  supported  alternately  by  one  hind,  and  one  fore 
leg,  so  that  each  fore  leg  supports  two-thirds  of  the  animal's 
gravity ;  to  this  we  must  add  the  weight  of  the  rider,  and  the 
increased  burden  occasioned  by  the  momentum  of  the  horse's 
action.  We  shall,  therefore,  be  within  bounds  when  we  say 
that  each  fore  leg  alternately  bears  a  weight  equal  to  the  ani- 
mal's entire  gravity,  all  which  is  borne  by  the  small  pastern 
bone,  and  is  thus  distributed  to  the  parts  below.  A  moderate 
portion  is  first  communicated  to  the  elastic  cushion,  from 
whence  it  is  impressed  on  the  lateral  and  inferior  cartilages 
and  posterior  part  of  the  frog.  The  remainder,  being  the 
principal  portion,  is  transferred  to  the  navicular  and  coffin- 
bones,  the  former  of  which,  by  the  interposition  of  the  flexor 
tendon,  bears  partly  on  the  frog  and  partly  on  the  sole ;  and 
the  latter  by  the  intervention  of  the  laminae,  distributes  its 
weight  to  the  wall  throughout  its  whole  circumference,  and  a 
very  slight  portion  of  it  is  borne  by  the  sole,  which  may  or 
may  not  bear   upon   the  ground.      Thus  at  the  same  moment 


45 

these  various  actions  go  on  in  the  foot.  The  coffin  bone  de- 
scends lower  into  the  hoof,  the  laminae,  by  their  elastic  connec- 
tions, permitting  it ;  the  sensible  sole  is  compressed,  and  perhaps 
the  horny  laminae  opposite  the  coffin  bone  slightly  descends. 
Well,  the  horny  sole  and  the  anterior  part  of  the  frog  opposite 
the  navicular  bone  descend  and  expand  the  quarters  parallel  to 
them,  whilst  at  the  same  time,  the  elastic  or  sensible  frog,  being 
compressed,  is  forced  down  upon  the  horny  frog,  and  contri- 
butes to  the  expansion  of  the  heels ;  but  if  the  horny  frog  meets 
the  ground,  the  cushion,  being  pressed  upon  both  above  and  be- 
low, enlarges  laterally,  and  expands  the  upper  part  of  the  foot 
and  lateral  cartilages." 

This  quotation  is  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
loose  views  entertained  by  one  of  the  most  influential  authori- 
ties upon  the  "  Foot  of  the  Horse,"  regarding  the  most  impor- 
tant function  possibly  pertaining  to  that  organ,  namely,  the  sus- 
taining or  supporting  ordination  of  the  sole.  He  says  the  sole 
"may  or  may  not"  have  a  bearing  upon  the  ground.  I  affirm 
that  it  must  have  a  bearing  either  upon  the  ground  or  its  equiv- 
alent, the  shoe,  in  order  to  exercise  and  maintain  its  functions 
in  a  state  of  efficiency. 

FACILIS    DECENSUS  AVERNUS. 

Descent  of  the  horny  sole  being  regarded  as  a  function,  this 
error  renders  the  acquisition  of  erroneous  views  necessary  to 
support  it,  an  easy  matter;  just  as  a  recognition  of  its  falsity, 
and  the  necessity  of  a  supporting  function  to  the  sole  will  have 
an  important  influence  in  producing  correct  views  of  other  func- 
tions. It  does  not,  however,  always  do  this,  as  I  shall  show  by 
an  illustrious  example,  namely,  Professor  Gamgee,  senior,  who, 
though  strenuously  advocating  a  sustaining  function  to  the 
sole,  denies  the  contractility  and  expansibility  of  the  foot  func- 
tionally or  otherwise  !  Per  contra,  Mr.  Spooner  recognizes  this 
latter  function,  but  is  loose-jointed  upon  the  sustaining  func- 
tions of  the  sole.  How  passing  strange,  that  men  of  such  mark, 
and  of  such  "large  discourse"  upon  that  ever-fertile  topic,  the 


46 

foot  of  the  horse,  should  differ  so  diametrically  upon  matters 
that  appear  to  be  of  the  most  simple  and  demonstrable  char- 
acter, as  I  think  will  be  seen  when  we  discuss  the  other  functions 
of  the  foot. 

THE  SENSITIVE  SOLE. 

Besides  the  laminal  tissues,  the  periosteum  of  the  coffin  bone 
furnishes  a  double  membrane  from  its  plantar  surface  to  fulfill 
similar  functions  for  the  horny  and  sensitive  soles.  Here,  also, 
proceeding  from  within  outwards,  we  have  the  basal  membrane 
adherent  to  the  bone,  and  a  secreting  membrane  sending  its 
papillae  into  the  internal  surface  of  the  horny  sole,  besides  a 
layer  of  elastic  interperiosteal  tissue  coming  between  the  two 
layers  of  membrane  last  described  —  that  is  to  say,  it  furnishes 
a  bed  whereon  the  nerves,  blood-vessels,  and  absorbents  may 
repose  with  safety,  and  yet  suffer  the  necessary  elongation  and 
shortening  incidental  to  the  movements  of  the  foot  without 
injury ;  and,  being  of  the  elastic  variety  of  fibrous  tissues,  forms 
the  appropriate  elastic  medium,  when  its  functions  are  unim- 
peded, by  which  the  natural  springing  and  rebounding  func- 
tions claimed  for  the  plantar  cushion,  for  such  it  is,  are  effected. 

AN  ERRONEOUS  CONCEPTION  EXPOSED. 

If  the  above  description  of  the  sensitive  sole  be  correct,  as  I 
deem  it  demonstrable  that  it  is,  by  actual  experiment,  then 
the  common  notion  that  the  horny  sole  should  be  cut  until  it 
springs  or  yields  under  the  pressure  of  the  thumb  must  be 
founded  upon  an  erroneous  conception  of  the  function  of  the 
sole,  no  matter  by  whomsoever  the  doctrine  may  be  taught, 
since  this  practice  neutralizes,  to  the  extent  to  which  it  may  be 
followed,  the  action  of  the  really  elastic  tissue  within  the  foot, 
and  calls  upon  tissues  that  are  not  elastic  to  fulfill  functions 
for  which  they  were  neither  designed  nor  adapted ;  and,  more- 
over, endangers  the  vascular  and  filamentous  connections  of 
the  sensitive  and  the  horny  laminae,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
sensitive  and  the  horny  sole,  by  causing  a  greater  tension  upon 
those  connections  than  they  are  able,  or  were  intended  to 
bear. 


m 


MR.  FLEMING,  RISE  AND  EXPLAIN. 

THE  "SOLAR  ZONE." 

There  is  a  white  line  that  marks  the  line  of  junction  of  the  sole 
and  wall.     It  is  undoubtedly  the  cementing  medium  of  the  two 
portions  of  the  hoof.     In  some  prior  observations  on  the  lami- 
nae made  by  Mr.  Fleming,  it  will  be  remembered  that  he  stated 
that  the  "  microscope,  physiology,  and  pathological  experience 
abundantly  testify  that  the  horny  leaves  are  not  formed  at  all 
by  the  sensitive  ones,  and  that  the  coronary  ligament  secreted 
he  entire  wall."     How,  then,  does  it  happen  that  the  source  of 
this  "  softer  and  more  elastic  white  zone  "  is  ascribed  to  "the 
secreting  villi  of  the  lower  end  of  the  sensitive  laminae?  "     If 
the  sensitive  laminae  have  secreting  functions  at  one  part,  why 
not  at  another  ?     And  if  not,  why  not  ?     If  they  have  not,  what 
need  is  there  of  any  vascular  attachment  between  the  two  de- 
scriptions of  laminae,  when  a  merely  mechanical  one  would  do 
as  well  ?     If  a  portion  of  the  horny  wall  is  not  secreted  from  its 
sensitive  counterpart,  perhaps  the  horny  sole  and  frog  are  not 
secreted  by  their  sensitive  counterparts;  for  the  inference  in 
one  case  is  just  as  reasonable  as  in  all  three ;  and  if  they  are 
not,  from  whence  are  they  derived  ?     Presuming  upon  the  pos- 
sibility that  Mr.  Fleming  may  alight,  in  the  course  of  his  pro- 
miscuous reading,  upon  these  questions,  I  shall  be  expecting  an 
answer  to  them  in  some  future  edition  of  his  work  on  "  Prac- 
tical Horse-Shoeing  "  or  in  some  other  way. 

THE  SENSITIVE  FROG. 

This  structure  presents  a  double  membranous  arrangement, 
similar  in  this  respect  to  the  secreting  organs  of  the  sole  and 
wall.  Extensions  of  a  dense  white  fibrous  membrane,  almost, 
if  not  quite,  identical  with  the  periosteal  tissues  before  described, 
completely  invest  this  substance.  Its  secreting  papillae  pene- 
trate the  horny  frog,  just  as  those  of  the  sensitive  sole  are  im- 
bedded into  the  pores  of  the  corneous  sole ;  but  they  are  said 


48 

to  be  of  a  finer  and  more  delicate  structure  than  those  of  the 
sensitive  sole.  They  also  take  the  same  oblique  direction 
downwards  and  forwards  as  those  of  the  sensitive  sole.  View- 
ing the  internal  aspect  of  the  hoof,  a  long,  deep,  triangular 
fissure  will  be  seen,  with  a  small  eminence  springing  from  its 
medial  line,  near  the  basal  end  of  the  triangle.  In  and  over 
this  fissure,  and  adjacent  thereto,  the  sensitive  frog  reposes. 
This  sensitive  frog  may  also  be  regarded  as  an  interperiosteal 
pad  or  cushion,  only,  compared  to  the  others,  it  is  of  greatly 
magnified  dimensions.  It  fills  up  the  whole  of  the  posterior 
space  of  the  foot  not  occupied  by  other  substantial  tissues. 
This,  the  principal  spring-cushion  of  the  foot,  as  to  size,  is  com- 
posed of  two  kinds  of  ligamentous  tissue — the  white  fibrous 
and  the  yellow  elastic.  The  mass  of  the  frog-cushion  is  com- 
posed of  the  same  material  as  constitutes  the  sub-cutaneous 
tissues,  usually  designated  connective  or  areolar  tissues.  To- 
wards the  posterior  portion  of  the  foot  these  tissues  are  trans- 
formed into  a  vast  fibro-cartilaginous  cushion,  otherwise  known 
as  the  sensitive  frog.  Its  eminently  elastic  properties  are  due 
to  its  yellow  elastic  constituent,  which  predominates  most  in 
the  upper  portion  of  the  pad  that  lies  in  close  contiguity  to  the 
perforans  tendon  and  the  inferior  portion  of  the  coronal  bone. 

CHARACTERISTIC  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  FROG. 

Another  remarkable  feature  of  the  constitution  of  the  frog- 
cushion,  which  only  the  microscope  could  reveal,  is  the  manner 
in  which  these  fibrous  materials  of  the  sensitive  frog  are  dis- 
posed. There  is  no  apparent  order  in  their  disposition,  but 
they  are  interwoven  with  each  other  in  every  conceivable  direc- 
tion, thus  forming  a  dense  areolated  mass  of  tissue.  These 
areolae  are  exceedingly  minute,  and  it  is  within  these  that  the 
yellow  elastic  fibres  called  "  nuclear  "  are  discovered  to  exist. 
It  is  this  variety  of  fibre  that  gives  elastic  properties  to  an  oth- 
erwise inelastic  substance.  The  chief  characteristic,  therefore, 
of  the  frog-cushion  is  firmness,  combined  with  lightness  and 
elasticity,  it  being  endowed  with  the  latter  property  in  every 
conceivable  direction. 


49 

STRUCTURE  INDICATES  FUNCTION. 

These  minute  particulars  as  to  the  structure  of  the  frog- 
cushion —  and  they  could  have  been  made  more  minute  still  — 
I  deem  of  importance,  as  they  point  unmistakably  to  its  func- 
tions. "  Men  do  not  gather  grapes  from  thorns,  nor  figs  from 
thistles ;  "  but  they  sometimes  commit  the  equally  egregious 
blunder  of  attributing  functions  to  organs  and  textures  which 
are  altogether  foreign  to  their  destined  purposes,  through  im- 
perfect acquaintance  with  their  intimate  composition  and  organ- 
ization. These  considerations,  together  with  the  desire  I  en- 
tertain that  the  sub-structure  of  my  theory  and  practice  in  regard 
to  diseases  of  the  feet  shall  be  laid  sufficiently  broad  and 
deep  in  the  facts  of  anatomy  and  physiology  must'be  my  apol- 
ogy, if  any  were  needed,  for  dwelling  so  long  upon  th£  compo- 
sition and  organization  of  tissues. 

FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  FROG. 

The  highly  important  functions  of  the  frog  have  yet  to  be 
considered.  The  horny  frog  is  evidently  designed  to  receive 
pressure  externally,  as  without  this  there  would  be  no  basis 
afforded  for  the  resilient  movements  of  the  internal  spring- 
cushion —  that  is  to  say,  the  sensitive  frog.  The  most  familiar 
illustration  of  this  view  is  the  following:  Take  the  spring- 
cushion  of  a  carriage,  or  the  spring-mattress  of  a  bed.  It  will 
be  seen  that  the  spiral  spring  is  fastened  by  one  end  to  a  solid 
base  or  frame-work.  The  full  action  of  the  spring  is  thus  ob- 
tained ;  but  if  the  solid  base  is  removed,  and  a  yielding  base 
substituted,  the  action  of  the  spring  is  neutralized  in  proportion 
to  the  yielding  character  of  the  base ;  in  other  words,  much  of 
its  resilient  action  is  lost,  and  the  body,  sitting  or  recumbent 
upon  either,  would  sink  to  a  lower  level  and  find  less  springi- 
ness on  the  seat  or  the  bed. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  A  HEALTHY  FROG. 

Thus,  the  sensitive  frog  is  the  spring-cushion,  and  the  horny 
frog  its  base  of  action,  when  these  tissues  and  functions  are  un- 
interfered  with. 


50 

The  horny  frog  interposes  a  firm  resisting  medium  between 
the  sensitive  frog  and  the  ground.  The  sensitive  frog  com- 
presses more  readily  under  the  double  effect  of  superior  and 
inferior  pressure.  It  thus  lets  the  weight  of  the  animal  down 
easy  upon  the  other  portions  of  the  foot,  and  the  instant  the 
weight  is  removed  in  the  lifting  movement,  regains  its  original 
dimensions.  It  is  to  this  expansive  or  rebounding  movement 
that  I  attribute  the  regular,  light,  easy,  corky,  springing  move- 
ments in  action  that  is  peculiar  to  the  horse. 

MAXIMUM  AND  MINIMUM  OF  LATERAL  MOVEMENTS. 

The  sensitive  frog  and  the  fissure  in  which  it  reposes  are  also 
evidently  constructed  so  as  to  admit  of  some  degree  of  lateral 
movement.  The  peculiar  construction,  too,  of  the  sensitive 
frog  adapts  it,  I  think,  to  receive  or  to  resist  pressure  in  every 
direction,  its  areolae  admitting  of  the  maximum  amount  of  rapid 
condensation  with  the  minimum  of  the  lateral  increase  of  bulk. 

SUMMARY  OF  VIEWS. 

Summarizing  the  foregoing  views  —  the  superimposed  weight 
of  the  animal  superiorly,  the  solid  bases  afforded  by  the  horny 
frog  inferiorly,  the  quarters  of  the  horny  wall  laterally  —  these 
are  the  solid  resistants  that  call  the  compressive  and  the  expan- 
sive forces  of  the  frog-cushion  into  play.  More  elasticity  than 
that  which  is  inherent  in  these  resisting  structures,  or  any  in- 
terference with  the  due  fulfillment  of  the  functions  of  any  one 
or  more  of  them,  such  as  contracted  quarters  and  a  diseased 
horny  frog,  would  injure  the  structure  and  suspend  the  func- 
tions of  the  primary  organ  of  resiliency,  the  sensitive  frogf 
and  proportionately  will  be  the  impairment  of  the  leg  or  knee 
action  of  the  animal  subject  to  such  an  abnormal  condition  of 
things. 

The  question  of  the  Expansibility  of  the  Foot  is  too  important 
to  be  dismissed  with  a  cursory  allusion.  It  will  arise  for  con- 
sideration in  due  course,  and  will  then  receive  the  attention  it 
merits. 


TENDONS   AND    TENDINOUS 

TEXTURES. 


Several  varieties  of  these  textures  are  to  be  found  entering 
into  that  complex  organism,  the  foot  of  the  horse. 

i.  The  tendons  directly  connecting  the  bones  with  the 
muscles  that  act  upon  them. 

2.  The  tendinous  expansions  that  envelope  joints. 

3.  The  tendinous  structures  that  connect  bones  that  are  in 
close  apposition  to  each  other  in  joint  formations. 

4.  The  external  lateral  ligaments  of  joints. 

5.  The  stellate  ligaments  of  the  navicular  bone. 

GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  TENDINOUS  TEXTURES. 

All  the  above  structures  have  the  same  general  composition, 
differing  only  in  the  arrangeme?it  of  their  fibres.  The  dense, 
tough,  white,  tendinous  expansions  that  embrace  the  joints, 
and  the  inelastic  silvery  ligaments  and  tendons  that  form  ex- 
tensions of  muscles,  are  alike  of  the  white  fibrous  variety  of 
tissues,  and  are  composed  of  white  filaments,  similar  in  every 
respect  to  the  fibrous  areolar  tissues.  They  only  differ  in  the 
arrangement  of  their  fibres.  They  are  all,  however,  arranged 
in  a  parallel  manner,  and,  being  inelastic,  give  a  firm  union  to 
those  structures  with  which  they  are  continuous  at  their  ends. 
Yet,  though  they  are  described  as  inelastic,  they  are  not  abso- 
lutely so,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  a  small  number  of  yellow 
elastic  fibres  is  interspersed  among  the  bundles  of  white  fibres. 
This  undoubtedly  imparts  some  security  against  the  chances  of 


52 

a  rupture,  by  admitting  of  a  slight  degree  of  elongation  under 
extremely  trying  circumstances.  Histologists  give  the  name  of 
' nuclear'  to  these  yellow  elastic  fibres.  The  tendons  and 
faschiae,  or  tendinous  bands,  are  bundles  of  filaments  of  white 
fibres.  The  aponeurotic  expansions  are  also  filamentous  bun- 
dles of  the  same  material,  strips  of  which  interlace  each  other, 
and  a  quantity  of  reticular  connective  tissue  giving  them  a  bond 
of  union.  It  is  the  toughness  and  inextensibility  of  white 
fibrous  tissue  that  render  it  so  serviceable  in  attaching  muscle 
to  bone,  and  in  connecting  bones  where  they  articulate  with 
each  other.  This  tissue  is  but  slightly  vascular,  and  contains 
fewer  blood-vessels  in  the  adult  than  in  the  young  animal. 

AN  IMPORTANT  ANATOMICAL  FACT. 

It  is  not  unimportant  to  remember  that  in  certain  exigencies 
the  division  of  tendons,  faschise,  and  ligaments  is  unattended 
with  pain,  so  that  these  structures  are  devoid  of  sensibility. 
There  is  no  tissue  more  easily  reproduced  ;  and  the  only  con-  « 
dition  for  effectual  reunion  is,  that  the  divided  ends  be  brought 
as  close  together  as  possible,  in  order  to  prevent  any  increase 
in  the  length  of  the  bond  of  union.  Perfect  rest  of  parts  is  the 
best  means  to  insure  the  healing  of  a  cut  or  torn  ligament  or 
tendon.  No  other  means  can  be  adopted  to  increase  the 
strength  of  the  white  fibrous  tissue.  This  is  mentioned,  be- 
cause veterinary  surgeons  still  resort  to  blistering  and  firing, 
in  the  belief  that  they  insure  animals  from  not  lacerating  liga- 
ments or  tendons  a  second  time. 

THE  FLEXOR  TENDONS  OF  THE  FOOT. 

The  most  important  tendons  of  the  foot  are  those  which  have 
their  insertion  in  the  coffin  or  pedal  bone ;  the  tendon  of  the 
Flexor  Pedis  Perforans,  and  that  of  the  Extensor  Pedis,  and  that 
which  is  inserted  into  the  coronal  bone,  the  tendon  of  the  Flexor 
Pedis  Perforatus.  The  latter  and  the  former  will  be  alluded  to, 
for  the  sake  of  brevity,  as  the  Flexors,  and  the  other  as  the 
Extensor.     If  we  take  the  Extensor  SurTraginis  into  account, 


53 

we  shall  then  have  two  Flexors  and  two  Extensors.  The  largest 
I  and  most  powerful  of  these  tendons  is  that  of  the  Perforans 
muscle ;  the  next,  that  of  the  perforatus.  The  two  last  main- 
tain a  very  intimate  companionship  from  their  origin  to  their 
insertion.  They  are  the  two  largest  of  the  fore  limb.  The  late 
Professor  Dick's  favorite  theory  concerning  the  navicular  dis- 
ease was,  that  "injury  to  this  tendon  in  the  synovial  capsule  of 
the  navicular  joint  was  most  generally  the  primary  and  proxi- 
mate cause."  The  perforans  tendon  passes  under  the  navicu- 
lar bone,  and  is  inserted  into  the  posterior  pit  of  the  pedal  bone. 
The  navicular  bone  affords  a  fulcrum,  by  which  means  the 
flexion  of  the  foot  is  accomplished  more  easily  than  could  be 
done  without  any  such  fulcrum. 

REMARKABLE  MECHANICAL  ARRANGEMENTS. 

The  merely  mechanical  arrangement  governing  the  action  of 
the  flexor  tendons  or  sinews  is  of  a  very  remarkable  character ; 
but  I  do  not  propose  to  enter  into  its  consideration  beyond  its 
immediate  influence  upon  the  motions  of  the  foot.  Both  of 
these  tendons  have  the  same  origin,  and,  though  their  connec- 
tion from  their  origin  to  their  insertion  is  so  intimate,  they  pre- 
serve their  individuality  throughout  their  whole  course  to  the 
foot.  Both  of  them  have  their  accessories  above  and  below  the 
the  knee.  The  perforans  is  aided  by  the  Ulnaris  Accessorius 
and  the  Radialis  Accessorius  above  the  knee,  and  a  tendon 
called  the  tendo-subcarpal  below  the  knee.  The  perforatus  de- 
rives assistance  from  a  ligament  above  the  knee,  called  the 
Superior  Suspensory.  At  the  back  of  the  knee  the  perforans 
clasps  the  perforatus  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form  a  sheath, 
through  which  the  latter  may  glide  ;  and  at  the  back  of  the  fet- 
lock joint  the  latter  performs  a  similar  office  for  the  former. 
Reaching  the  coronal  bone,  the  perforatus  divides  itself  into 
two  points  of  insertion,  one  going  to  the  inner  and  the  other  to 
the  outer  posterior  edge  of  that  bone.  The  perforans  here  be- 
comes flat  and  thin,  and  adapts  itself  in  width  to  the  length  of 
the  navicular  bone,  against  which  it  presents  a  hard  gliding 


54 

surface.  Its  rounded  terminal  insertion  measures  about  four 
inches,  and  it  spreads  out  somewhat  like  a  fan,  and  finds  an 
attachment  to  the  roughened  inferior  semicircular  border  of  the 
coffin  bone.  Such  are  some  of  the  more  salient  features  of 
these  important  tendons,  a  consideration  of  which,  in  all  its 
bearings,  would  form  a  subject  of  considerable  interest  and 
prolonged  study. 

THREE-FOLD  FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  FLEXORS. 

Their  united  function  is  obviously  of  a  three-fold  character. 
They  lift  and  flex  the  foot  in  upward  action.  In  the  downward 
motion  their  great  strength  is  utilized  to  diminish  the  force  of 
the  descending  weight  of  the  animal,  with  the  acquired  mo- 
mentum in  addition,  which  must  be  very  considerably  increased 
during  rapid  action.  The  perforatus  and  perforans  are  liable 
to  sprains,  to  laceration,  to  rupture,  to  ulceration,  and  the  latter 
to  adhesion  to  the  navicular  bone. 

THE  EXTENSOR  TENDONS  OF  THE  FOOT. 

The  extensor  tendons  are  very  light  and  slender  in  compari- 
son with  the  flexors.  They  blend  intimately  with  the  faschiae 
that  enwraps  the  upper  and  lower  pastern  joints.  The  thickest 
portion  of  the  extensor  pedis  is  inserted  into  the  coronal  em- 
inence of  the  os  pedis.  The  less  thick  portion  is  interwoven 
with  the  faschise  that  finds  an  attachment  along  the  entire 
superior  margin  of  that  bone.  The  combined  general  function 
of  the  extensors  is  the  extension  of  the  foot  and  leg. 

LOW  INSTEP  A  FREQUENT  SOURCE  OF  LAMENESS. 

A  by  no  means  unfrequent  source  of  lameness  I  have  ob- 
served to  be,  pressure  upon  this  tendon,  arising  from  a  low 
instep,  which  I  have  found  to  disappear  after  lowering  and 
shortening  the  toe,  or  raising  the  heels,  or  both,  as  circum- 
stances may  render  necessary.  It  comes  from  lowering  the 
heels  unduly,  or  from  allowing  the  shoes  to  remain  on 
the  feet  too  long,  the  toe  thereby  becoming  elevated  from  inor- 


55 

dinate  growth.  Injuries  to  these  tendons  are  less  frequent  than 
to  the  flexors,  A  very  disastrous  lesion  of  the  tendon  of  the 
.extensor  pedis  is  one  upon  the  part  just  where  it  is  inserted 
into  the  coffin  bone,  from  a  severe  tread  or  calk.  It  is  more 
serious  here  than  a  similar  injury  elsewhere,  for  the  reason,  I 
presume,  that  the  principal  point  of  connection  is  either  weak- 
ened, or  entirely  severed  in  a  case  of  a  severe  character. 

ACCESSORIES   OF  THE   EXTENSORS. 

The  Extensors  are  not  without  their  adjuncts  or  accessories. 
The  Extensor  Suffraginis  is  assisted  by  the  Ligamentum  Ex- 
tensorium  that  springs  from  the  outer  part  of  the  capsular 
ligament  of  the  knee,  and  the  outer  metacarpal  bone,  taking  a 
winding  course  downwards  and  forwards  towards  the  fetlock, 
where  it  blends  with  its  principal.  The  Extensor  Pedis  has  a 
much  more  complex  accessory  to  aid  it,  withal,  a  very  important 
one  to  understand  the  arrangement  of.  It  has  its  superior 
attachment  to  the  head  of  the  large  metacarpal  bone  on  its 
posterior  aspecti,  mmediately  below  its  articulating  border. 
It  lies  between  the  small  metacarpals  in  close  apposition  to  the 
large  metacarpal,  and  for  two-thirds  the  length  of  that  bone  it 
is  a  very  powerful  undivided  ligament.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  lower  third  it  divides  into  two  parts,  each  part 
attaching  itself,  one  to  the  inner,  and  the  other  to  the  outer 
Sesamoid  bone.  They  traverse  these  bones  and  leave  them 
somewhat  diminished  in  calibre,  and  each  winds  itself  around 
the  pastern  obliquely  to  the  front  where  it  blends  with  the 
extensor  pedis.  The  undivided  portion  of  this  curious  liga- 
ment is  said  to  contain  elastic  fibres,  which  therefore  would 
render  it  extensible  in  a  slight  degree  when  its  strength  would 
be  severely  taxed. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  accessories  of  the  flexors  act  in  a 
direct  line  with  their  principals ;  while  that  of  the  extensor 
suffraginis  proceeds  from  the  side  obliquely  to  the  front ;  and 
that  of  the  extensor  pedis  proceeds  from  behind  and  winds 
around  to  the  front  to  render  their  assistance. 


56 


THE  TRUE  SUSPENSION  OF  THE  LEG. 

The  ligament  last  described  was  within  the  last  decade  very 
generally  regarded  as  the  principal  suspensory  ligament  of  the 
leg.  It  is  not  so  regarded  now  at  head  quarters  or  by  those 
who  know  that  a  division  of  this  ligament  does  not  result  in 
letting  doivn  the  limb,  while  a  division  of  the  tendon  of  the 
perforans  does.  The  latter,  therefore,  must  be  regarded  as 
the  true  suspensory,  and  the  former  has  changed  its  name  from 
suspensory  to  superior  sesamoideal  ligament,  being  named  rela- 
tively to  its  connections  rather  than  to  its  supposed  functions. 
I  believe,  however,  that  it  has  a  double  function,  that  besides 
the  inferior  suspensory  power  it  possesses  when  the  foot  is  on 
the  ground,  that  it  operates  against  an  undue  extension  of  the 
limb,  especially  in  rapid  action,  and  that  it  is  admirably 
adapted  for  this  purpose  by  its  great  strength  and  slightly 
yielding  properties. 

ANTAGONIZING  FORCES. 

It  seems  to  me  that  were  there  not  some  antagonizing  or 
controlling  force  of  this  kind,  in  rapid  action,  the  legs  would 
get  too  much  extended,  and  the  body  get  down  too  low  for 
the  animal  to  exert  his  powers  to  the  best  advantage.  By 
none  of  the  "locomotive  physiologists"  have  I  found  this 
function  referred  to  in  the  production  and  contrast  of  knee 
action.  If  this  view  be  correct,  this  ligament  assists  the  flexors 
as  well  as  the  extensors,  by  receiving  a  share  of  the  descending 
weight  during  action.  Its  attachments  and  properties  are 
eminently  adapted  for  this  purpose.  I  believe,  moreover,  it  is 
the  first  to  act  in  the  lifting  and  flexing  movement  of  the  leg, 
and  the  first  to  act  in  limiting  or  checking  the  movement  of 
extension  and  confining  that  extension  within  the  limits  of 
safety.  This  question,  however,  belongs  to  the  region  of  "  loco- 
motive physiology,"  which  I  am  content  to  leave  to  the  great 
mollahs  of  the  veterinary  profession  and  their  curious  disser- 
tations upon  the  production  of  knee  action. 


57 


THE  SECRET  OF  KNEE  ACTION. 


Transcending  all  other  influences  upon  the  action  of  the 
knee  is  that  of  a  sound  and  healthy  foot.  This  is  the  great 
'producer  and  modifier  of  knee  action.  Ask  the  owners  and 
trainers  of  "Dexter,"  "Goldsmith  Maid,"  and  "American 
Girl,"  the  secret  of  their  wonderful  performances,  and  if  they 
tell  you  truly,  they  will  point  to  a  piece  of  simple  mechanism 
called  a  foot-dilator,  and  tell  you  the  whole  secret  is  in  the  judi- 
cious use  of  that  instrument.     "  A  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient/' 

THE  TENDINOUS  EXPANSIONS 

Are  all  of  the  white-fibrous  variety  of  tissues,  are  very  tough 
and  inextensible,  and  constitute  those  powerful  investing  mem- 
branes of  joints  that  enclose  the  articulation  as  within  a  cap- 
sule, hence  the  name  they  commonly  receive  of  capsular  liga- 
ments of  the  large  and  small  pastern  and  the  coffin-joints,  the 
latter  being  so  close  to  each  other  are  continuous,  and  power- 
fully contributes  towards  the  immunity  these  joints  usually  en- 
joy from  dislocations,  as  luxations  of  these  joints- are  very  rare 
compared  to  those  of  other  joints. 

THE  LESSER  LIGAMENTS  OF  THE  ARTICULATIONS 

Pertaining  to  the  lower  pastern  and  coffin-joints  are  all  of  the 
same  dense  tough  character  as  the  last  described.  One  class 
unites  the  ends  of  bones  where  they  articulate  with  each  other; 
and  another  may  be  said  to  brace  or  tie  the  joint  upon  its 
lateral  aspects,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  hinge-like  motion 
of  the  joint.  The  former  are  therefore  called  interosseous,  and 
the  latter,  lateral  ligaments. 

The  small  pastern  has  one  interosseus,  and  two  long  and 
two  short  lateral  ligaments. 

The  coffin-joint  has  two  interosseous,  two  antero-lateral, 
and  two  postero-lateral  ligaments.  The  antero-lateral  are 
continuous  with  the  lateral  cartilages. 

The  stellate  ligaments  of  the  navicular  bone  are  of  this  class. 
Their  functions  have  been  already  referred  to. 

E 


58 


a  SYNOVIAL     MEMBRANES. 

A  COMMON  ERROR  CORRECTED. 

Of  three  kinds  of  synovial  membranes  that  exist,  the  articu- 
lator)', the  vagina/  and  the  vesicular;  the  two  former  are 
found,  one  in  the  foot  and  the  other  in  very  close  proximity  to 
it.  The  articulatory  lie  in  loose  folds  around  the  articulatory 
surfaces,  and  do  not  as  is  generally  supposed  cover  the  articulati?ig 
surfaces.  They  form  circumscribed  sacs  it  is  true.  Their 
edges  are  inserted  along  the  margin  of  the  articulating  surfaces, 
and  their  office  is  to  secrete  the  synovial  fluid  which  insinuates 
itself  between  the  bearing  surfaces  of  the  joint.  In  the  coffin- 
joint  one  of  these  membranes  encloses  the  articulating  surfaces 
of  three  bones,  those  of  the  pedal  and  coronal  bones;  and  the 
upper  and  anterior  surfaces  of  the  navicular  bone;  while  the 
inferior  surface  of  the  latter  bone  forms  a  distinct  articulation 
with  the  portion  of  the  perforans  that  glides  upon  or  against  it. 
This  latter  articulation  has  a  synovial  membrane  independently 
of  the  one  above  it,  and  is  the  one  nearest  to  the  internal  apex 
of  the  frog,  which  I  have  strong  reasons  for  thinking  presses 
upward  but  too  frequently,  and  aggravates  the  contracted 
condition  of  the  foot.  The  example  of  a  vaginal  mem- 
brane found  near  the  foot,  is  that  which  lines  the  enclosed  sac 
or  sheath  which  is  formed  by  the  perforatus  for  the  passage  of 
the  perforans,  just  before  it  reaches  the  navicular  bone. 

DISEASES  OF  SYNOVIAL  MEMBRANES  AND  THEIR  SEQUELM. 

Synovial  membranes  are  said  to  be  non-vascular  and  insen- 
sitive, except  when  diseased,  when  they  become  the  seat  of 
intense  pain.  They  are  liable  to  acute  and  chronic  inflamma- 
tion, from  concussion,  blows,  and  strains,  and  mechanical  inju- 
ries, such  as  the  puncture  of  a  nail,  broken  glass,  etc.  They 
may  also  be  affected  by  rheumatism.  Inflammatory  adhesions 
of  their  surfaces  are  found  in  the  advanced  stages  of  navicular 


59 

disease,  and  of  conversion  of  the  membrane  into  cartilage. 
The  lack  of  a  due  secretion  of  synovia  leads  to  consequences 
of  a  most  serious  nature  to  joints.  Abrasion  and  absorption  of 
the  articular  cartilages  is  the  first  result,  leading  in  many  cases 
to  a  species  of  dry-rot  in  the  bones.  A  deep  furrow  may  be 
plowed  into  the  articular  cartilage,  as  is  often  met  with  in  the 
astragalo-tibial  articulation  of  the  hock-joint,  where  there  is 
lameness  without  any  palpable  or  ocular  evidence  of  spavin, 
incipient,  or  otherwise.  The  phrase  occult  spavin  is  often  made 
to  do  duty  for  occult  lameness,  arising  from  the  cause  alluded  to. 
This  lesion  will  receive  fuller  consideration  under  the  head  of 
Springhalt. 


THE    CIRCULATORY    SYSTEM    OF 

THE    FEET. 


1.  The  Plantar  Arteries. 

2.  The  Plantar  Capillaries. 

3.  The  Plantar  Veins. 


THE    PLANTAR    ARTERIES. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  UPON  ARTERIES. 

Before  describing  the  course  of  the  arteries  of  the  foot,  it  may 
possibly  be  not  altogether  uninstructive  to  non-professional 
readers  to  learn  something  of  the  nature  of  that  wonderful 
system  forming  a  part  of  the  general  animal  economy,  through 
the  agency  of  which  every  change  in  the  tissues  are  effected, 
either  for  good  or  ill. 

By  means  of  the  circulatory  system,  the  waste  materials,  the 
worn-out  particles  of  matter  are  conveyed  to  their  appropriate 
organs  of  elimination  from  the  system ;  and  the  new,  vitalized, 
and  vitalizing,  molecules  of  matter  deposited  in  their  place. 
The  value  of  an  adequate  appreciation  of  the  facts  of  physi- 
ology having  especial  relation  to  the  foot  and  the  circulating 
system,  is  but  little  suspected.  Believing  this,  I  deem  some 
few  facts  of  this  nature  of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  the 
introduction  of  the  following  brief  notes  upon  the  nature  of 
the  arteries  as  well  as  of  the  capillaries  and  veins  which  will 
follow,  albeit  they  may  be  deemed  somewhat  advanced  for 
many  of  my  readers. 


61 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  ARTERIES. 

Branches  of  arteries  leave  the  main  trunk,  at  obtuse,  acute, 
and  right  angles. 

The  united  capacity  of  all  the  small  branches  is  much  greater 
than  the  parent  trunk. 

Arteries  do  not  taper,  but  diminish  in  size,  by  giving  off 
other  trunks  and  branches. 

The  blood  in  arteries  goes  slower  the  further  it  is  from  the 
heart. 

Arteries  are  placed  in  the  aspect  of  flexion  in  limbs,  rather 
than  of  extension. 

As  compared  with  veins,  they  are  deep-seated  on  the  inner 
surface  of  the  feet  and  legs. 

The  coats  of  the  arteries  are  thick,  except  in  the  brain,  spi- 
nal cord,  and  the  interior  of  bones. 

They  are  enclosed  in  a  loose  cellular  sheath  to  allow  of  ver- 
micular motion  and  dilatation. 

They  terminate  in  capillaries. 

THE   MICROSCOPIC  ANATOMY  OF  AN  ARTERY 

Reveals  the  existence  of  three  coats. 

i.  An  external  coat  made  up  of  areolar  tissue,  and  yellow- 
elastic  fibres;  the  fibres  being  disposed  longitudinally. 

2.  A  middle  coat,  consisting  of  muscular  and  elastic  fibres, 
both  arranged  in  a  circular  form,  so  as  to  form  a  tube. 

3.  An  internal  coat  composed  of  a  basement  membrane  of 
elastic  material,  and  an  epithelial  membrane  lining  the  base- 
ment membrane. 

The  coats  are  all  united  together  by  areolar  tissue. 

Arteries  have  no  valves,  excepting  one  at  the  entrance  to  the 
aorta  and  pulmonary  artery. 

An  artery  is  distinguished  by  its  cylindrical  form  ;  and  bleed- 
ing from  an  artery  is  known  by  its  pulsatory  character. 

An  artery  may  be  recognized  by  its  dirty  yellowish-white 
color. 


62 

An  artery  retains  its  circular  form  when  empty,  while  a  vein 
collapses. 

Arteries  frequently  anastomose  with  each  other  to  form  com- 
plete circles,  especially  in  the  brain  and  feet. 

A  ligature  tied  round  an  artery,  divides  the  middle  muscular 
coat  first  on  account  of  the  circular  arrangement  of  its  fibres. 

The  muscular  portion  of  the  middle  coat  is  of  the  involun- 
tary class  of  muscles,  and  acts  by  means  of  nervous  force,  or 
stimulus,  or  by  electricity.  The  internal  serous  coat  is  very 
brittle.     It  possesses  neither  blood-vessels  nor  nerves. 

Arteries  are  very  extensile,  that  is,  they  are  susceptible  of 
yielding  and  elongation,  and  of  returning  to  their  original 
dimensions. 

THE  PLANTAR  ARTERIES. 

The  following  account  of  the  Plantar  Arteries  is  derived 
from  Spooner,  on  "The  Foot  of  the  Horse." 

"  The  Plantar  Arteries  at  their  origin  above  the  fetlock  form 
an  acute  angle  from  the  apex  of  which  gradually  receding, 
they  pass  over  the  joint  by  the  side  of  the  sesamoid  bones,  and 
somewhat  in  advance  of  the  tendons,  conforming  in  their  pro- 
gress to  the  prominence  of  the  fetlock  and  the  depressions  of 
the  pasterns.  Below  the  joint,  the  artery,  still  pursuing  a 
straight  course,  is,  from  the  smaller  circumference  of  the  pas- 
terns, compared  with  the  fetlock,  again  brought  very  near,  and 
somewhat  in  advance  of  the  perforatus  tendon,  and  so  con- 
tinues till  the  termination  of  the  tendon,  when  the  artery  itself 
is  hidden  from  view  by  the  lateral  cartilage.  It  here  inclines 
somewhat  forwards,  being  surrounded  by  the  substance  of 
the  cushion,  and  just  within  the  upper  part  of  the  wings  of  the 
coffin-bone  it  enters  a  groove  which  conveys  it  downwards  and 
forwards  to  the  foramen  on  the  posterior  concavity  of  the  bone, 
just  under  the  coffin  joint.  The  artery  within  the  substance  of 
the  bone  takes  a  circular  direction,  and  joins  its  fellow  on  the 
other  side,  from  which  circumstance  it  is  designated  by  Pro- 
fessor Coleman  the  circulus  arteriosus.     In  the  course  we  have 


63 

described,  being  common  to  both,  the  plantar  arteries  send  out 
many  branches  to  the  neighboring  parts. 

"  The  first  of  importance  after  a  few  small  vessels  about  the 
fetlock  is  called  by  Mr.  Percival,  the  perpendicular  artery,  and 
rises  about  half  way  down  the  os  suffraginis,  and  takes  its 
course  forwards  and  downwards  to  the  coronary  substance 
where  it  anastomoses  with  its  fellow  and  forms  an  arch  called 
the  superficial  coronary  from  whence  proceed  about  eighteen 
small  descending  arteries  whose  office  it  is  to  secrete  the  crust. 

"  The  second  branch  of  importance  is  the  transverse  artery, 
which  crosses  over  to  the  front  of  the  os  coronae,  underneath 
the  extensor  tendon,  and  joins  the  corresponding  branch  from 
the  other  side,  forming  the  Superior  Coronory  circle,  which 
gives  off  numerous  small  vessels,  some  of  which,  passing  down- 
wards communicate  with  the  inferior  coronary  artery  before 
described. 

"  Thirdly,  the  plantar  arteries,  having  given  off  these  vessels 
anteriorly  distribute  others  posteriorly,  the  first  of  which  is  the 
artery  of  the  frog,  which  rises  opposite  the  pastern  joint,  and 
enters  obliquely  the  substance  of  the  sensitive  frog,  where  it 
divides  into  two  branches,  one  going  to  the  toe,  and  the  other 
to  the  heels  of  the  frog,  the  latter  of  which  sends  branches  to 
the  cartilages. 

"  Fourthly,  just  as  the  main  trunk  reaches  the  coffin-bone,  a 
Targe  branch,  the  lateral  laminal,  is  given  off,  which  enters  the 
foramen  in  the  wings  of  the  bone,  and  then  winds  around  it  in 
a  groove  to  the  front  of  the  foot  sending  branches  in  every 
direction  to  the  sensible  laminae,  and  then  enters  by  a  smaller 
foramen  in  the  antero-lateral  part  of  the  bone  and  joins  the 
circulus  arteriosus  within  it.  From  this  artery  a  branch  is 
given  off  which  joins  the  circumflex. 

"The  Circulus  Arteriosus  presents  a  corresponding  course 
within  the  bone,  to  that  described  by  its  external  border,  and 
gives  rise  to  two  sets  of  vessels  : 

"  First. — The  Anterior  Laminal  Arteries,  very  small  and 
numerous  branches  which  proceed  through  the  foramina  of  the 
coffin-bone  and  are  distributed  on  the  laminae. 


64 

"Secondly. — The  Inferior  Communicating  Arteries,  thirteen 
or  fourteen  in  number,  proceed  through  the  foramina  in  front 
of  the  coffin-bone  and  supply  the  Circumflex  Artery  which  en- 
circles the  toe  of  the  os  pedis  and  from  which  blood  is  usually 
abstracted  when  a  horse  is  bled  in  the  foot. 

"  From  the  Circumflex,  proceed  the  Solar  Arteries,  thirteen  or 
fourteen  in  number,  which,  taking  a  radiated  course  towards 
the  centre  of  the  foot,  furnish  the  sensible  sole  with  its  requi- 
site nourishment,  and  form  the  net-work  of  vessels  from  which 
the  horny  sole  is  secreted." 


THE    PLANTAR    CAPILLARIES. 

An  extremeiy  interesting  study  is  the  capillary  system,  or  cir- 
culation. It  is  important  to  be  acquainted  with  some  of  its 
salient  features ;  as  much  so,  indeed,  as  with  the  arterial  and 
venous  systems  of  circulation.  The  great  object  of  the  capil- 
lary circulation  is  to  minister  to  the  functions  of  secretion  and 
nutrition,  as  these  operations  can  only  be  carried  on  while  the 
blood  is  in  circulation.  The  term  capillary  is  used  to  denote 
all  the  minute  vessels  which  pass  between  and  connect  the  arter- 
ies and  veins. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  the  aggregate  area  of  the  cap- 
illaries is  eight  hundred  times  larger  than  that  of  the  arteries 
which  supply  them. 

They  are  generally  uniform  in  size,  varying  but  a  little  in 
different  places.  They  are  smallest  in  the  brain,  the  lungs  and 
spinal  cord,  and  largest  in  medullary  matter,  fat,  etc.  The 
smallest  are  about  3,500th  and  the  largest  about  i(s00th  of  an  inch 
in  diameter.  They  have  but  one  coat,  which  is  of  a  homoge- 
neous character.     They  are  nourished  by  imbibition. 

Their  course  is  the  same  as  the  fibres  of  the  tissues  through 
which  they  ramify. 

•They  commence  in  arteries  and  terminate  in  veins.  They 
anastomose  very  frequently  with  each  other,  and  form  a  net- 
work of  wonderful  minuteness. 


65 

The  function  of  the  capillaries  is  to  distribute  the  nutritive 
elements  to  the  most  minute  portions  of  the  tissues. 

The  arteries  themselves  are  not  supplied  with  nutriment  from 
the  biood  that  passes  through  them,  but  by  vessels  from  the  col- 
lateral branches  termed  the  vasa  vasorum.  These  minute  sys- 
tems within  systems  remind  one  of  the  Hudibrastic  conceit : 

"  Great  fleas  have  little  fleas 

Upon  their  backs,  to  bite  'em, 
And  little  fleas  have  lesser  fleas  ; 
And  so,  ad  infinitum" 

A  certain  regulative  or  distributive  power  exists  in  the  walls 
of  the  capillaries,  on  the  tissues  which  they  traverse. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  FACTS. 

Though  the  red  cells  of  the  blood  pass  through  them,  as  a 
rule,  in  single  file,  sometimes  the  capillaries  enlarge  to  admit 
several  files  to  pass  at  once.  The  velocity  of  the  current  is 
liable  to  great  and  sudden  variations  from  local  influences,  and 
when  the  action  of  the  heart  is  enfeebled,  stagnation  some- 
times takes  place,  which  is  often  overcome  by  the  vigorous  ac- 
tion of  the  heart. 

Impairment  of  the  functions  of  the  blood,  by  which  it  is  not 
duly  aerated,  retards  the  flow  of  the  blood  through  the  capil- 
laries, the  tissues  being  deprived  of  the  proper  amount  of  their 
appropriate  stimulus.  This  has  been  verified  by  experiment 
in  the  lungs.  The  change  in  the  condition  of  the  blood  in  re- 
gard to  the  relative  proportions  of  its  oxygen  and  carbonic  acid 
is  the  only  one  to  which  the  pulmonary  circulation  is  subservi- 
ent. 

Any  circumstance  which  increases  the  functional  energy  of 
a  part,  or  stimulates  it  to  increased  nutrition,  will  occasion  an 
increase  in  the  supply  of  blood,  irrespective  of  any  change 
in  the  heart's  action.  An  undue  acceleration  of  the  local  cir- 
culation constitutes  the  state  known  as  active  congestion,  hy- 
peremia, or  determination  of  blood. 


66 

When  inflammation  is  produced,  there  is  a  stagnation  of  blood 
and  a  depression  or  change  of  its  functions.  When  blood  de- 
termines to  the  head  from  mental  exertion,  and  the  extremities 
become  cold  and  livid,  the  circulation  should  be  equalized  by 
friction  and  exercise. 

In  congestion  of  any  organ  there  is  deficient  functional  en- 
ergy and  retarded  circulation.  This  condition  predisposes  to 
inflammation.  It  is  always  relieved  by  promoting  the  action  of 
the  part  affected. 

THE  PLANTAR  VEINS. 

GENERAL  REMARKS    UPON  THE  VEINS. 

Veins  are  superficial  or  deep-seated. 

Their  inner  coat  is  much  more  tough  than  the  corresponding 
coat  of  arteries.  Veins  anastomose  more  frequently  with  each 
other  than  arteries. 

Veins  accompany  arteries  in  their  course,  the  rule  being  that 
large  arteries  have  one  vein  accompanying  them,  the  middle- 
sized  ones,  two,  and  the  smaller  ones,  seldom  any. 

Like  the  arteries,  the  veins  have  three  coats  in  their  struc- 
tural formation : 

i.  An  external  one — fibro-cellular,  delicate  and  loose  out- 
wardly, but  having  a  firm  attachment  to  the  middle  coat. 

2.  A  middle  one,  a  combination  of  circular  muscular  and 
of  longitudinally  elastic  fibres,  but  of  a  much  thinner  sub- 
stance, possessing,  however,  less  contractile  force  and  greater 
strength  than  the  corresponding  coat  of  the  arteries. 

3.  An  internal  serous  membrane,  consisting  of  a  basement 
and  an  epithelial  covering. 

Veins  are  more  numerous  than  the  arteries,  and  are  more 
superficially  placed. 

No  veins  have  been  found  in  the  interior  of  bones.  As  a 
rule,  veins  have  valves  in  their  interior.  Valves  are  rendered 
necessary  by  the  propelling  force  of  the  arteries  having  be- 
come lost  before  the  veins  are  reached. 


67 

When  the  blood  passes  from  the  capillaries  into  the  veins,  it 
runs  very  slowly,  but  increases  in  speed  as  it  reaches  the  heart. 
The  flow  of  blood  in  the  veins  is  assisted  by  valves  where  it 
has  to  asscend  against  the  force  of  gravity.  The  valves  are 
numerous.  They  open  toward  the  heart.  They  may  be  single, 
double,  or  treble,  according  to  locality. 

There  are  some  important  exceptions  to  this  rule.  Besides 
other  organs,  the  veins  of  the  brain  and  the  feet  have  no  valves. 
They  are  numerous  in  the  legs  above,  but  there  are  none  below 
the  fetlocks. 

The  passage  of  the  blood  through  the  veins  is  facilitated  by 
muscular  and  other  pressure  and  the  aid  of  the  valves,  which 
are  the  most  numerous,  where  they  have  the  force  of  gravity 
to  overcome  ;  and  yet 

§ 

THE    VEINS    OF  THE    FOOT  HAVE    NO    VALVES. 

There  must  be  an  important  reason  for  this  exception.  The 
following,  perhaps,  may  be  advanced  as  a  possible  explanation 
of  this  remarkable  fact :  In  no  other  part  of  the  system  is 
there  so  much  liability  to  disturbing  influences  upon  the  circu- 
latory apparatus  as  under  the  comparatively  hard  and  unyield- 
ing horny  encasement  of  the  sensitive  part  of  the  foot  we  denom- 
inate the  hoof.  Excessive  dryness  or  moisture  will  affect  the 
foot  injuriously,  the  necessary  consequences  of  which  would 
be  an  abnormal  diminution  or  enlargement  of  the  calibre  of 
the  circulatory  vessels. 

The  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  fact  of  the  veins  of  the  foot 
having  no  valves  has  an  important  practical  value.  It  is  that  under 
all  ordinary  circumstances  the  veins  of  the  foot  are  sufficiently 
exposed  to  pressure  by  the  movements  of  the  animal  to  propel 
the  blood  through  them;  and  that  the  valves  so  necessary  and 
useful  elsewhere  in  overcoming  the  force  of  gravity,  would  be 
so  liable  to  get  out  of  order  in  this  organ  that  they  would 
rather  obstruct  than  facilitate  the  flow  of  blood  through  the 
veins.  The  vessels  would  then  became  congested;  enlarge- 
ment would  ensue,  and  this  would  create  an  internal  pressure 


68 

in  an  outward  direction  upon  the  horny  textures,  similar  to 
what  they  do  when  in  a  hypersemic  condition  merely  from  long 
standing  in  the  stable  or  on  board  a  ship.  It  should  also  be 
remembered  that  the  horse  was  designed  for  fleetness — indeed, 
for  almost  constant  action.  All  else  being  equal,  this  constant 
action  would  compensate  for  the  omission  of  valves. 

WORK  OR  EXERCISE  A  NECESSITY   TO   MAINTAIN  A  HEALTHY  FOOT. 

From  these  considerations,  it  would  appear  necessary  that  the 
foot  should  be  in  frequent  motion,  in  order  to  maintain  through 
it  a  healthy  circulation  of  the  nutrient  and  vitalizing  fluid — the 
blood.  And,  if  these  premises  be  correct,  what  can  be  more 
opposed  to  the  well  being  of  the  horse,  or  be  a  more  frequent 
predisposing  cause  of  occult  diseases  of  the  feet  and  limbs  of 
horses  than  tying  them  up  in  stalls  and  depriving  them  of  that 
exercise  which  is  essential  to  the  maintenance  of  the  healthy 
condition  of  the  foot  primarily ;  and,  secondarily,  that  of  the 
entire  animal  system  ? 


THE    PLANTAR    VEINS. 

ANATOMICAL  ARRANGEMENT. 

"  Having  briefly  described  the  arteries  of  the  foot  which  pass 
in  such  a  remarkable  manner  through  the  bone  itself,  protected 
from  injury  and  secure  from  pressure,  we  must  next  describe 
the  veins,  which,  by  being  less  subject  to  injury,  take  their 
course  outside  the  coffin-bone. 

The  veins  of  the  sole  empty  themselves  chiefly  into  those  of 
the  laminae,  which  increasing  in  size  toward  the  coronet,  are 
collected  together  in  branches,  which  take  an  upward  course 
nrough  the  coronary  substance,  and  form  the  superficial  cor- 
onary veins.  From  them  large  branches  proceed,  which  are 
joined  by  the  deep  coronary  vein,  which  is  usually  double. 
These  vessels  when  injected  with  wax  present  an  immense  net- 
work, spread  over  the  lateral  cartilages,  and  gradually  dimin- 


69 

ishing  in   number,  they  at  length  unite  in  a  single  vein  just 
opposite  the  pastern  joint. 

The  veins  of  the  frog  after  ramifying  over  the  body  of  the 
frog  ascend  on  the  inside  of  the  cartilages  into  the  substance 
of  the  heel.  Diminishing  in  number,  but  increasing  in  size, 
they  become  a  single  vein,  which,  joining  that  from  the  laminae, 
together  from  the  plantar  vein,  which,  with  the  veins  that  form 
it,  are  alike  on  both  sides  of  the  foot.  The  vein  takes  its 
course  upward  by  the  anterior  side  of  the  plantar  artery,  but 
rather  more  superficially  situated,  and  is  joined  by  a  vein  called 
the  perpendicular,  and  by  some  minor  branches,  and  towards 
its  termination  by  some  larger  ones  from  the  fetlock  joint." — 
Spooner. 

THE  LYMPHATICS   OF   THE   FOOT. 

The  lymphatic  vessels  are  said,  by  Percival,  to  be  so  minute 
as  to  bear  no  sort  of  comparison  with  the  veins  in  point  of 
magnitude. 

They  are  vastly  more  numerous  and  have  much  more  fre- 
quent anastomsis  than  the  veins. 

They  are  peculiarly  tortuous  in  their  course,  and  are  every- 
where beset  with  valves.  I  have  questioned  in  vain  every 
authority  I  possess  whether  the  lymphatics,  like  the  veins  of 
the  foot,  are  not  an  exception  to  the  rule  as  regards  the  exis- 
tence of  valves  in  that  organ  ?  Judging  from  analogy,  I  should 
deem  it  probable  that  they  are.  This  however,  for  the  present, 
must  remain  a  moot  question. 

Their  natural  divisions  are  into  Superficial  and  Deep-seated. 

The  superficial  absorbents  or  lymphatics  are  distributed  in 
great  numbers  immediately  beneath  the  skin,  and  penetrate  it 
at  every  point,  which  enables  them  to  absorb  moisture  from 
external  sources,  and  to  convey  it  into  the  interior  of  the  sys- 
tem. The  deep-seated  absorbents  or  lymphatics  are  found 
ramifying  upon  the  interior  tissues,  in  company  with  the  veins. 
They  are  in  direct  communication  with  the  superficial  lymph- 
atics.    Their  office  is  to  take  up,  and  carry  off,  in  a  fluid  con- 


70 

dition,  the  products  of  disintegration  in  all  the  tissues.  Like 
the  veins  and  arteries,  they  are  exceedingly  minute  at  their 
peripheral  extremities,  but  gradually  become  less  in  number, 
and  greater  in  size  until  they  finally  reach  the  receptaculum  ehyti, 
the  contents  of  which  being  conveyed  into  the  veins,  it  passes 
through  various  depurating  organs,  by  which  the  effete  particles 
are  cast  out  of  the  system,  and  the  useful  retained  and  utilized 
in  the  regeneration  of  the  various  tissues  of  which  the  body  is 
built  up. 

SCAVENGERS  OR  SANATORY  AGENTS. 

The  absorbents  have  been  described  as  the  scavengers  of  the 
animal  system.  When  the  scavengers  of  a  large  and  crowded 
city,  fail  to  perform  their  duties,  and  the  highways  and  bye- 
ways  become  choked  up  with  refuse  matter  from  the  houses, 
and  the  air  loaded  with  putrescent  effluvia,  we  know  that  the 
general  health  must  suffer,  and  it  may  be  that  the  conditions 
are  present  for  the  specific  generation  of  the  germs  of  a  disease 
which  may  depopulate  the  city.  It  is  equally  certain  that 
when  the  lymphatics  are  interfered  with  and  they  are  hindered 
in  the  performance  of  their  duties,  by  any  cause  whatever, 
whether  it  be  mere  mechanical  obstruction,  arising  from  pres- 
sure occasioned  by  an  inelastic  and  unyielding  condition  of 
the  horny  structures ;  or  by  the  positive  invasion  of  disease 
peculiar  to  its  structures,  the  wojn-out  particles  of  the  system 
cannot  be  conveyed  away,  and  they  remain  to  impair  and  im- 
pede the  nutritive  materials  and  functions. 

Owing  to  the  want  of  tonic  force  in  the  walls  of  the  absorb- 
ents of  the  extremities,  we  get  those  accumulations  -of  fluids 
that  cause  the  dropsical  appearance  so  well  known. 

There  are  other  morbid  conditions  of  the  lymphatics,  such  as 
inflammation  of  these  vessels,  etc.,  which  must  be  reserved  for  a 
fuller  notice  when  the  diseases  having  any  immediate  connec- 
tion with  the  foot  are  under  consideration. 


71 


LYMPHATIC   GLANDS. 

The  absorbent  or  lymphatic  glands  are  small  globular  bodies 
varying  in  size  "  from  a  pea  to  a  walnut  "  that  are  found  lying 
in  the  course  of  the  absorbents.  They  are  described  as  a  "  con- 
tortion of  lymphatic  vessels"  connected  together  by  cellular 
texture,  having  neither  a  oavity  nor  secreting  duct.  The  vessel 
appears  to  enter  a  contorted  mass  of  vessels,  and  then  pass  out 
again.  These  glands  are  linked  together  by  absorbent  tubes 
of  intercommunication.  The  minutest  of  the  absorbent  vessels 
have  but  a  single  transparent  membrane.  As  they  require 
force,  however,  they  acquire  strength  by  the  addition  of  another 
membrane,  and  finally  the  large  trunks  have  three  membranes. 

The  lymphatic  system  is  an  exceedingly  interesting  and  in- 
structive object  of  study.  They  have  a  more  important  con- 
nection with  some  diseases  of  the  feet  than  is  generally  sup- 
posed. 


THE  NERVES    OF    THE  FOOT. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  UPON    THE    NERVOUS  SYSTEM. 

An  eminent  authority  (Haycock)  writes :  "  The  nervous 
system  is  one  that,  if  contemplated  in  all  its  numerous  and  im- 
portant relations,  will  be  found  to  embrace  the  most  compre- 
hensive inquiries  which  physiological  science  can  open  to  the 
mind  of  man. 

"  The  horse,  like  all  other  highly-organized  animals,  is  pos- 
sessed of  a  nervous  system,  the  structure  of  which  is  highly 
complex,  and  the  uses  of  which  are  two-fold  :  First,  to  place 
the  animal  itself  in  intimate  relation  with  the  external  world; 
and,  secondly,  to  place  every  member  and  every  part  of  a  mem- 
ber in  intimate  relation  with  every  other  member  and  part  of  a 
member. 


72 

"  The  nervous  system  may  be  divided,  for  the  convenience  of 
description  into  : 

i.  The  brain. 

2.  The  spinal  cord. 

3.  The  cranial  nerves. 

4.  The  spinal  nerves. 

5.  The  sympathetic  system. 

"  It  is  by  means  of  the  brain  and  its  nerves,  the  spinal  cord 
and  its  nerves,  and  the  sympathetic  system,  that  the  relations 
I  have  stated  are  maintained. 

"The  sympathetic  nervous  system  is  distributed  to  the  heart 
and  to  the  blood-vessels  throughout  the  body ;  and  also  those 
various  organs,  the  aggregate  of  which  is  called  the  ''organic 
sphere '  of  the  animal's  body. 

"  The  brain  and  its  nerves  and  the  spinal  cord  and  its  nerves 
preside  over  the  sensory  and  locomotive  spheres  of  the  animal, 
while,  in  addition  the  two  systems  exchange  filaments  with  each 
other ;  and  thus  the  whole  is  balanced  in  every  part  in  a  man- 
ner which  cannot  fail  to  excite  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
every  beholder." 

The  importance  of  a  due  appreciation  of  normal  and  dis- 
eased conditions  of  the  nerves  in  relation  to  the  foot  of  the 
horse  connot  be  overestimated.  Causes  apparently  the  most 
trivial,  affecting  the  sensory  nerves  of  the  foot  produce  effects 
of  the  most  destructive  nature  to   the  entire  animal  economy. 

DISTRIBUTIVE  ARRANGEMENT   OF  THE  NERVES  OF  THE  FOOT.' 

Before  I  advert  to  some  physiolgical  and  pathological  facts, 
having  immediate  reference  to  the  nerves  of  the  feet,  to  which 
I  have  to  call  the  attention   of  my  readers  generally,  and  to 
veterinary  surgeons  particularly,  I   will  dispose  of  the  merely 
distributive  arrangement  of  the  nerves  of  that  organ. 

Quoting  Spooner:  "The  nerves  of  the  fore  extremity  are 
derived  from  the  humeral  plexus,  which  is  formed  by  branches 
from  the  fifth,  sixth  and  seventh  cervical  and  first  dorsal  nerves.. 


73 

"  Below  the  fetlock,  these  nerves,  like  the  arteries,  are  termed 
the  plantar,  and  they  pursue  a  similar  course,  on  either  side,  on 
the  borders  of  the  flexor  tendons,  and  a  little  behind  the  arter- 
ies, and  descending  within  the  lateral  cartilages,  enter  the  fora- 
men in  the  cavity  of  the  coffin  bone,  in  company  with  the  artery, 
and  distribute  their  ramifications  through  the  foramina  of  the 
bone  to  the  sole.  In  this  course  the  following  branches  are 
given  off : 

"  i.  Just  below  the  fetlock,  an  important  branch,  which  runs 
obliquely  forward  to  the  lateral  cartilages,  where  it  is  dispersed 
in  the  numerous  ramifications,  some  of  them  external  to  the 
net  work  of  veins,  so  that  we  can  seldom  bleed  at  this  part 
without  dividing  a  small  nerve. 

"  2.  A  large  branch  is  given  off,  just  before  the  nerve  reaches 
the  lateral  cartilage,  which  proceeding  backwards,  enters  the 
substance  of  the  frog. 

"3.  Still  lower  down,  a  branch  winds  forward  through  the 
foramen  in  the  wings  of  the  cofin  bone,  and  supplies  the  lam- 
inae. 

v'  The  nerves  that  supply  the  coronary  ligament  are  derived 
from   the  external  metacarpal  nerve." 

IS  THE  EQUINE  FOOT  AN  ORGAN    OF   SPECIAL  SENSATION? 

There  are  some  reasons,  I  think,  for  the  belief  that  the  foot 
of  the  horse  is  not  only  the  subject  of  common  sensation,  but  is 
also  endowed  with  such  an  extremely  delicate  and  special  or- 
ganization as  to  entitle  it  to  be  considered  as  an  organ  of 
special  as  well  as  common  sensation.  The  existence,  however,  of 
any  special  sense  of  this  nature  in  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  one 
of  inference  rather  than  of  positive  demonstration ;  but  it  is 
an  inference,  I  think,  that  is  justified  by  reason  and  analogy, 
and,  perhaps,  by  experience. 

As  to  reason  :  That  the  foot  should  possess  a  special  faculty 
of  feeling,  or  sensation  of  touch  upon  its  plantar  surface,  the 
part  in  contact  with  the  ground  when  standing  or  during  loco- 
motion, in  order  to  harmonize  its  internal  functions  with  its  ex- 

F 


74 

ternal  relations,  by  enabling  it  to  receive  and  to  convey  impres- 
sions of  comparative  degrees  of  safety  or  danger  to  the  brain  of 
the  system  of  which  it  forms  a  part,  appears  to  me  to  be  as  neces- 
sary as  the  special  organization  of  the  ear,  the  eye,  and  the 
other  organs  of  special  sensation,  designed  for  the  fulfilment 
of  certain  functions  also  in  connection  with  the  external  rela- 
tions of  the  animal. 

PRIMA    FACIE    REASONS. 

It  appears  to  me  that  the  impressions  of  safety  or  danger 
could  not  so  well  be  conveyed  to  the  brain  through  the  agency  of 
the  eye  alone  as  through  the  combined  functions  of  the  eye  and 
the  foot.  Actual  contact  of  the  foot  with  the  ground,  I  take  to 
be  a  much  safer  criterion  of  safety  or  danger  than  a  merely 
visual  estimate  of  those  circumstances.  Both  faculties  are  in 
perpetual  exercise  during  locomotion  ;  that  of  sight  to  measure 
distances,  so  as  to  place  the  foot  with  accuracy,  whilst  that  of 
touch  receives  the  impressions  of  its  good  or  bad  qualities  with 
reference  to  safety  or  danger. 

I  think  these  may  be  regarded,  at  least,  as  prima  facie  reasons 
for  the  existence  of  a  special  endowment  of  sensibility  in  the 
foot  of  the  "noble  quadruped." 


ANALOGICAL    ARGUMENT. 

• 

The  evidence  in  favor  of  this  view  derivable  from  analogy  I 
think,  may  fairly  be  adduced  from  the  existence  of  this  function 
in  that  organ  which  is  the  homologue  in  man  of  the  foot  of  the 
horse — the  organ  of  touch  par  excellance — the  human  hand.  In 
this  the  microscope  enables  it  to  be  demonstrated  that,  be- 
sides the  sensation  it  possesses  in  common  with  the  skin  at  all 
other  points,  it  is  endowed  with  a  larger  supply  of  sensitive 
nerve  fibrillar  at  their  extremities,  where  external  objects  are 
felt,  than  elsewhere.  Just  at  the  points  of  contact  with  ex- 
ternal objects  sensibility  is  the  most  acute. 


75 


AN    OBJECTION     ANTICIPATED. 

Anticipating  an  objection  that  might  be  urged  to  this  view 
of  the  case,  I  concede  that  the  respective  functions  of  the 
hand  of  man  and  the  foot  of  the  horse  are  only  parallel  to  a 
certain  extent ;  that  the  former  has  endowments  of  sensibility 
denied  to  the  latter,  while  the  latter  possesses  powers  and  func- 
tions not  enjoyed  by  the  former  ;  yet  different  though  they  may 
be  in  some  respects,  I  yet  think  there  is  one  particular  function 
they  enjoy  in  common,  differing  possibly  in  degree,  but  not  in 
kind,  in  which  the  analogy  holds  good,  and  that  it  may  be  said 
of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  as  it  is  of  the  hand  of  man,  that  it  is 
pre-eminently  the  organ  of  tactility  or  touch,  and  the  prime 
medium  of  communication  between  the  brain  and  solid  objects 
of  the  external  world. 


EXPERIENTIA    DOCET. 

The  evidence  of  experience  which  I  shall  adduce  may  not 
have  much  weight  with  those  whose  experience  with  horses  in 
this  respect  has  been  limited  to  what  many  have  been  observed 
among  horses  whose  feet  are  shod  with  iron,  and  traversing  only 
the  streets  and  roads  in  or  near  a  city. 

Those  who,  like  myself,  have  traveled  in  sparsely  settled 
countries,  as  in  the  interior  of  Australia,  where  the  foot  of  the 
horse  is  necessarily  innocent  of  iron,  and  where  horses  are 
"  shod  according  to  nature,"  since  nature  does  the  shoeing  her- 
self, and  have  spent  a  large  portion  of  their  time  on  horseback, 
may  possibly  be  able  to  recall  recollections  of  "  hair-breadth 
escapes  by  flood  and  field,"  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  sa- 
gacity, the  instinct  or  reason  (I  know  not  altogether  which)  of 
their  equine  companions,  as  I  can.  I  confess  that  my  life  has 
been  endangered  more  than  once  by  my  not  heeding  the  warn- 
ing I  received  of  treacherous  ground  by  the  animal's  reluctance 
to  move  forward  in  a  direct  line,  and  by  the  folly  of  overcom- 
ing that  reluctance  by  whip  and  spur. 


76 


RELATIVE     SENSIBILITY     OF    THE    EQUINE    FOOT. 

For  myself  I  am  convinced  that  the  foot  of  the  unshod  horse, 
whether  wild  or  subjugated,  and  traversing  the  natural  surface 
of  the'earth,  possesses  endowments  of  special  sensibility  but  lit- 
tle inferior,  if  any,  to  those  of  the  palmar  extremities  of  the 
'  lord  of  creation  '  himself.  The  foot  of  the  shod  horse  sub- 
ject to  be  "  cribbed,  cabined  and  confined  "  in  his  natural 
movements,  treading  only  on  artificially-formed  surfaces,  his 
whole  nature  but  ill-understood  by  his  custodians,  and  the  prop- 
er management  of  his  feet  in  his  civilized  condition  compre- 
hended still  less,  I  regard  as  vastly  inferior  in  special  sensibility 
to  that  of  the  horse  which  exists  under  more  primitive  con- 
ditions. 

CAUSES  OF  IMPAIRED  ACTION. 

We  will  now  allude  to  some  of  the  pathological  conditions, 
with  which  the  nerves  of  the  foot  have  an  important  and  obvi- 
ous connection.  I  hold  that  but  a  slight  degree  of  abnormal 
pressure  upon  the  nerves  of  the  foot,  whether  exerted  from 
within  or  without,  will  produce  some,  it  may  be  but  a  slight  de- 
gree of  pain,  involving  necessarily  a  corresponding  degree,  or 
amount,  of  impaired  action  in  the  limb  of  the  foot  affected, 
which  must  affect,  more  or  less  detrimentally  the  entire  system. 

As  is  the  amount  of  pressure,  so  will  be  the  degree  of  pain, 
and  the  extent  of  lameness,  whether  it  be  slight  or  severe,  in 
one  foot  or  in  more. 

It  but  too  frequently  happens  that  the  pressure  is  so  slight 
and  so  evenly  experienced  by  the  two  fore  feet,  and  the  increase 
of  pressure  so  gradual  and  insiduous,  that  its  effects  are  not  dis- 
cernable  by  those  who  are  supposed  to  appreciate  and  to  min- 
ister to  all  the  animals  physical  necessities ;  until  he  becomes  ■ 
either  an  obvious  cripple  in  both  feet,  or  evinces  a  greater 
degree  of  lameness  in  one  foot  than  the  other. 


77 

THE  FEVERED  FOOT— SUB-ACUTE  LAMINITIS. 

After  a  horse  has  been  battering  his  feet,    however   sound 
4hey  may  naturally  be,  with  a  thin  and  unsupported  sole,  the 
laminae   suffering   the   highest   degree  of  tension ;    the  heated 
organ,  stimulated  to  its  highest  capacity  for  the  propellance 
of  blood  through  its  millions  of  tubes,  by  active,  it  may  be  by- 
violent  exercise,   and  is  brought   suddenly  to  a  stand-still ;  its 
rapid  circulation  is  suddenly  checked,  under  the  unequal  con- 
ditions of  the  blood-vessels  within  and  without  the  horny  tex- 
tures ;  there  being  no  valves  in  the  veins  of  the  foot ;  and  the 
latter  being  suddenly  deprived  of  its  natural  stimulus  of  exer- 
cise ;  congestion  of  these  vessels  ensues,  which  may  be  tempo- 
rary, being  overcome  by  the  vigorous  action  of  the  heart ;  or  it 
may  be  more  or  less  permanent,  and  become  the  readily  pre- 
disposing cause   to  founder  whenever  any  extra     demand   is 
made  upon  the  capacity  or  endurance  of  the  pedal  extremity. 
But  congestion,  or  morbid  fulness  of  the  vessels  implies  pres- 
sure against  the  walls  of  the  foot  remotely.     The  nerves  of  the 
foot  are  necessarily  involved  in  this  pressure,  and  hence  we 
have  the  sub-acute  inflammatory  condition  denominated  ''''fever 
in  the  foot,"  which  of  course  may  be  more  or  less  severe  accord- 
ing to  circumstances. 

ACUTE  LAMINITIS— FOUNDER. 

All  these  conditions  of  the  sub-acute  variety  may  become 
chronic  or  remittent  in  their  character,  and  the  foot  in  some 
cases  become  adapted  to  abnormal  conditions,  and  the  pecu- 
liar temperament  of  the  animal  under  the  influence  of  general 
nervous  excitement,  and  the  stimulus  of  action,  may  cause  him 
to  forget  all  about  his  "  poor  feet" 

But  when  to  the  above  we  have  a  superadded  cause  in  the  mor- 
bidly contracting  or  contracted  condition  of  the  quarters,  it  can 
readily  be  perceived  how  a  slight  internal  pressure  and  its  con- 
sequences would  be  intensified,  under  any  undue  exercise  of 
the  functions  of  the  foot,  and  how  the  nervous  irritation  may 
become  so  great  as  to  affect  the  general  nervous  system,  and 
that  morbid  condition  we  call  founder,  be  induced. 


78 


GENERAL  CAUSES— DIVERSE   EFFECTS. 

Between  the  extremes  of  simple  fever,  and  founder,  various 
structural  changes  and  pathological  conditions  may  be  found 
in  the  feet  of  all  varieties  of  breed,  and  all  kinds  of  feet,  whether 
they  be  flat,  blocky,  or  of  any  intermediate  form. 

In  whatever  feet  the  general  causes  I  have  glanced  at  are  in 
operation,  however  slowly  and  insiduously,  it  only  depends 
upon  the  element  of  time  and  the  concurrence  of  certain  con- 
ditions which  may  happen  at  any  time  unforseen,  what  the 
result  is  going  to  be ;  what  particular  portion  of  the  foot,  and 
in  what  manner,  and  to  what  extent  it  shall  be  affected.  In 
one  case  we  may  have  simple  contraction  and  atrophy  or  wasting 
of  the  internal  structures  as  the  ultimate  result.  Corns  and 
Cracks  may  be  manifested  in  other  cases.  In  some  cases  they 
culminate  in  acute  or  sub-acute  navicular  disease  or  founder. 
Thus,  it  will  be  clear  that  the  same  general  causes  may  produce 
the  whole  of  these  various  specific  morbid  conditions,  and  the 
several  links  in  the  chain  of  direct  causation  be  justly  adduced, 
namely :  contraction,  nerve-pressure,  and  diminished  or 
vitiated  secretions,  of  the  various  structures  composing  the 
foot,  whether  they  be  the  hard  external,  or  soft  internal,  parts, 
all  having  to  depend  entirely  upon  nerve-stimulus  for  healthy 
action. 

INJURIES   FROM  NAILING   ON  THE   SHOE. 

The  process  of  nailing  on  the  shoe  is  by  no  means  an  unfre- 
quent  source  of  irritation  to  the  nerves  of  the  foot,  which 
occasionaly  eventuates  in  canker  and  lock-jaw.  Every  one  of 
the  errors  of  carelessness  or  of  positive  want  of  skill,  in  nailing 
on  the  shoe,  such  as  driving  the  nails  too  near  the  sensitive 
tissues,  without  actually  piercing  them  ;  absolute  piercing  of  the 
tissues  ;  driving  the  nails  too  high,  or  too  close  together;  using 
nails  too  strong  or  too  weak  in  the  shank ;  the  too  frequent 
insertion  and  withdrawal  of  the  nail ;  and  though  last  not  least, 
injudiciously  tight  'closing'  or  'drawing  up;  the  nails  on  a 
weak  or  tender  foot,  no  one  knows  better  than  shoeing-smiths 


79 

themselves  are  occasionally  productive  of  the  most  serious  con- 
sequences. 

«  The  most  apparently  trivial  cause  may  lead  only  to  temporary 
lameness,  or  may  be  followed  by  the  most  destructive  onslaughts 
of  canker  or  of  lock-jaw.  These  diseases  will  receive  a  careful 
and  extended  consideration  under  their  respective  captions 
in  the  section  upon  Diseases  of  the  Feet. 

SOURCE  OF  PAIN  IN  THE  FOOT. 

There  are  some  morbid  conditions  that  cannot  be  classed 
among  the  specific  diseases  of  the  equine  foot  which  may  be 
as  well  referred  to  here,  perhaps,  as  elsewhere.  I  allude  to 
pain  in  the  nerves  of  the  various  tissues  that  enter  into  the 
composition  of  the  foot.  According  to  "  Druitt,"  "  The  bones 
like  other  parts  are  subject  to  that  severe  and  continuous  pain 
which  is  known  by  the  name  of  neuralgia."  That  the  pedal 
bone  and  its  investing  membrane  is  the  frequent  seat  of  neural- 
gic pain,  exposed  as  it  is  to  so  many  injurious  influences,  both 
local  and  constitutional,  I  cannot  entertain  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt.  The  same  may  also  be  predicated  of  the  synovial  and 
other  membranous  structures,  which  are  susceptible  to  acute 
and  sub-acute  inflammation  from  local  causes,  such  as  external 
pressure,  concussions,  strains,  mechanical  injuries,  and  espe- 
cially penetrating  wounds  and  from  constitutional  causes,  as 
exposure  to  cold ;  contact  with  the  excreta  of  the  stable ; 
breathing  a  vitiated  atmosphere ;  rheumatic  and  other  blood 
poisons  both  inherited  and  acquired ;  and  perhaps  more  than 
all,  the  powerful  sympathy  that  exists  between  the  feet,  the 
mucous  membranes  of  the  lungs,  stomach,  and  intestines,  as 
well  as  the  skin,  and  the  brain. 

The  foot  of  the  horse  is  more  exposed  to  all  these  external 
and  internal  influences  than  the  foot  of  any  other  animal  by 
reason  of  its  peculiar  organization  by  which  the  circulation  can 
be  so  readily  impeded,  healthy  assimilation  prevented,  the  secre- 
tory processes  perverted,  the  nerve  and  other  structures  atro- 
phied, the  nerve-force  weakened,  and  the  various  kinds  and 
degrees  of  nervous  sensibility  augmented  or  paralyzed. 


80 


EXTERNAL  SOURCES  OF  PAIN  IN  THE  FOOT. 

Another  seat  or  source  of  pain  and  lameness  may  be  located 
in  tissues,  which,  though  not  found  in  the  foot,  are  yet  the 
source  of  every  movement  of  that  organ.  Therefore,  whatever 
impairs  the  efficiency  of  the  former,  must  necessarily  exert  a 
prejudicial  effect  upon  the  latter,  just  as  any  painful  affection 
of  the  feet  must  have  a  paralyzing  influence  upon  the  muscular 
organs  that  control  them. 

MUSCULAR  SPASMS,  OR  CRAMP. 

Druitt  thus  writes  of  these  diseased  conditions  :  "  Pain  may 
arise  from  muscular  spasms,  or  cramp,  or  from  diseased  condi- 
tion of  the  nerves,  or  of  the  nerve-centres,  without  the  existence 
of  the  least  inflammation.  Such  pain  may  often  be  known  by 
its  coming  and  going,  without  apparent  cause.  It  is  often  in- 
tense in  proportion  to  the  debilitated  condition  of  the  patient. 
It  may  last  for  months  without  being  followed  by  any  of  the 
changes  of  structure  which  are  commonly  called  inflammatory." 
I  believe  this  is  equally  true  of  the  equine,  as  the  human 
patient,  and  that  these  are  just  the  conditions  which  have  led 
some  veterinary  writers  to  question  the  accuracy  of  the  term 
laminitis  where  there  has  been  no  evidence  of  inflammation  in 
the  laminal  tissues. 

NON-INFLAMMATORY  AFFECTIONS.     THE  "RAGGED  EDGE." 

I  can  readily  concur  with  those  writers  and  concede  an  occa- 
sional primary  origin  of  lameness  to  muscles  that  govern  the 
movements  of  the  leg  and  foot,  and  hold  still,  that  as  a  rule  it 
will  be  found,  by  the  effects  of  the  treatment  I  pursue  and  recom- 
mend in  such  cases,  that  this  class  of  ailments  arises  primarily 
from  pressure  upon  the  sensitive  organization  of  the  foot,  and 
that  the  muscular  organs  that  govern  the  movements  of  the 
foot  are  affected  secondarily.  The  effects  of  the  treatment  will 
reveal  the  true  primary  seat  of  the  trouble.  I  think  very  little 
observation   is  necessary  to  perceive  that  it  is  the  sub-acute 


81 

condition  of  pain,  arising  from  pressure  upon  the  delicately 
sensitive  nervous  organization  of  the  foot  that  keeps  the  afflicted 
animal  so  long  verging  upon  the  "  ragged  edge  "  of  misery, 
that  even  the  atmospheric  changes,  and  the  fluctuations  of 
dietetic  and  other  influences,  are  sufficient  to  keep  it  constantly 
approaching  to,  or  receding  from,  the  line  that  separates  the 
absolute  from  the  relative  disability  of  the  animal  for  the  per- 
formance of  its  duties.  A  severer  degree  of  pain,  a  little  over- 
tasking of  the  tissues,  an  apparently  slight  accidental  injury, 
or  the  known  sympathy  that  exists  between  the  skin,  the  visceral 
organs,  and  the  feet  through  the  medium  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tems, will  often  then  be  sufficient  to  precipitate  a  crisis  that 
shall  topple  the  animal  over  the  "  ragged  edge  "  into  the  abysses 
of  positive  pain,  and  misery,  or  of  possible  destruction. 

POSSIBLE  CAUSE  OF  STRINGHALT. 

There  is  yet  another  mysterious  affection  of  the  nerves  whose 
etiology  is  of  the  most  doubtful  character,  and  whose  origin 
has  been  ascribed  to  various  parts  of  the  nervous  system,  but 
never  before,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  to  the  region  of  the  foot,  or 
even  suspected  as  having  the  remotest  connection  with  a  dis- 
ordered condition  of  the  nerves  of  the  foot. 

Pressure /;w//  within  or  without,  affecting  the  nervous  organ- 
ization of  the  foot,  and  especially,  perhaps,  those  delicate 
fibrillar  that  control  the  action  of  the  secreting  organs,  I  opine 
to  be  a  cause,  if  not  the  cause,  of  the  affection  commonly  called 
Stringhalt,  since  I  have  found  the  relief  of  pressure  by  the  use 
of  the  dilator  to  relax  the  severity  of  the  spasmodic  action  of 
this  affection.  It  is  fortunately  not  a  destructive  one  except 
in  a  few  rare  instances.  This  subject  will  be  more  fully  con- 
sidered in  the  Article  on  Stringhalt. 


SECRETING    STRUCTURES  OF 
THE  FOOT. 


♦   ♦   * 


i.  The  sebaceous  glands  of  the  skin,  more  numerous  in, 
and  around  the  heels  than  elsewhere,  for  the  purpose  of  keep- 
ing those  parts  soft  and  supple  that  are  subject  to  extension 
during  motion. 

2.  The  coronary  villi,  that  secrete  the  fibrous  portion  of 
the  wall. 

3.  The  secretories  of  the  frog-band. 

4.  The  laminal  papillae,  that  secrete  the  non-fibrous  portion 
of  the  wall. 

5.  The  secretories  of  the  white  solar  zone. 

6.  The  papillated  membrane  that  secretes  the  horny  frog. 

7.  The  papillated  membrane  that  secretes  the  horny  sole. 

8.  The  synovial' membranes  that  secrete  synovia  for  the 
purpose  of  lubricating  the  gliding  surfaces  of  the  joints. 

"AMPLE  ROOM  AND  VERGE  ENOUGH." 

The  location  and  function  of  these  Secreting  Structures  have 
been  sufficiently  indicated  in  connection  with  a  description  of 
the  various  substances  they  secrete.  The  following  brief  refer- 
ence to  the  microscopic  anatomy  of  these  minute  organisms, 
will  perhaps  be  sufficient  to  show  the  extreme  delicacy  of  some 
of  the  structures  and  processes  that  enter  into  the  economy  of 
the  foot  of  the  horse,  and  to  suggest  the  importance  of  there 
being  "  ample  room  and  verge  enough  "  for  the  elaboration  and 
secretion  of  the  horny  textures. 


83 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  SECRETING  VILLI. 

All  the  secreting  papillae  and  villi  are  said  to  be  constituted 
very  nearly  alike,  and  to  consist  essentially  of  a  double  mem" 
brane,  basement  and  epithelial,  with  a  layer  of  fine  areolated 
tissue  between  them  both,  the  inner  and  outer  surface  of  which 
is  covered  by  minute  villi,  so  called  from  the  surfaces  they 
cover  resembling  velvet,  or  plush.  In  each  villus  or  papilla,  a 
plexus  or  little  knot  of  arteries,  veins  and  nerves  are  found  to 
exist,  by  which  the  processes  of  accretion,  of  elaboration,  and 
secretion,  are  carried  on.  The  exact  modus  operandi  of  these 
operations,  however,  are  so  complex  and  difficult  to  investigate, 
that  they  have  not  yet  been  fully  understood  or  satisfactorily 
explained. 

THE  FLUID  ELEMENTS  OF  THE  FOOT. 

i.  Blood. 

2.  Marrow. 

3.  Lymph. 

4.  Synovia. 

5.  Mucus. 

6.  Substances  undergoing  transformation  into  horny  tissues. 

7.  The  perspiratory  fluid. 

PHYSICAL  PROPERTIES  OF  THE  BLOOD. 

The  first,  only,  of  these  elements,  the  blood,  demand  any 
special  mention  beyond  that  which  might  have  been  made  when 
considering  the  secreting  structures,  and  the  enumeration 
which  was  necessary  to  present  a  complete  account  of  the  sub- 
stances  that  play  their  part  in  the  complex  organism  designated 
the  foot  of  the  horse. 

IMPORTANT  PHYSIOLOGICAL  FACTS. 

Anything  like  a  full  consideration  of  the  properties  and  con- 
stitution of  the  blood  would  carry  me  further  into  the  domain 
of  physiology  than  the  majority  of  my  readers  would  be  dis- 
posed to  follow  me.     There  is,  however,  one  view  of  its  physi- 


84 

cal,  and  one  of  its  chemical,  properties  that  I  wish  to  impress 
upon  the  mind  of  the  student,  that  have  an  important  bearing 
upon  the  rationale  of  treatment. 

RED  AND  WHITE  BLOOD  CELLS. 

All  the  constituents  of  the  blood  are  not  absolute  fluids.  It 
contains  solid  particles,  called  red  and  white  cells,  and,  even  in 
a  healthy  condition  of  things,  when  the  vessels  they  pass  through 
have  their  full  natural  dimensions,  these  solid  particles  can  only 
pass  through  the  capillary  vessels  in  single  file.  Now  I  think 
it  is  obvious  that  the  very  slightest  amount  of  abnormal  pres- 
sure upon  the  vessels  will  impede  the  passage  of  these  cells ; 
and  what  is  true  of  the  blood  vessels  and  their  fluid  contents, 
is  equally  true  of  the  lymph  and  lymphatics,  and  of  the 
secerning  organs  and  their  fluid  contents.  The  slightest  dimi- 
nution of  the  calibre  of  any  of  these  vessels  will  interrupt,  in 
some  degree,  the  free  and  natural  flow  of  their  fluids  through 
them,  which  must  be  productive  of  ill  effects  in  proportion  to 
the  intensity  of  the  causes. 

CHEMICO-VITAL  CHANGES  IN  THE  BLOOD. 

The  most  prominent  of  these  ill  effects  or  morbid  conditions 
I  regard  as  taking  place  in  the  constitution  of  the  blood  itself. 
Pathology  teaches  us  that  in  all  inflammatory  conditions,  whether 
general  or  local,  chemico-vital  changes  take  place  in  the  blood 
which  diminishes  its  albuminous,  and  increases  its  fibrinous 
constituents.  This  renders  the  blood  less  fluid,  and  therefore 
less  capable  of  passing  through  the  minute  capillary  vessels, 
whether  it  be  of  the  brain,  the  lungs,  or  the  feet.  The  circula- 
tion being  impeded  in  any  organ,  or  from  any  cause,  produces 
congestion  and  inflammation.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  how  one 
abnormal  action  will  produce  a  series  of  abnormal  actions  and 
reactions  in  other  organs  besides  the  feet.  These  are  the  merest 
hints  upon  a  very  important  element  in  the  question  of  lame- 
ness and  its  causes ;  but  I  hope  they  are  sufficient  to  show, 
theoretically,  the  value  of  a 


85 


JUDiCIOUS  MECHANICAL   EXPANSION 

<  of  the  horny  walls  of  the  foot,  whether  it  be  obviously  con- 
tracted, or  whether  there  is  only  a  suspicio?i  that  some  slight 
degree  of  contraction  may  exist.  Its  practical  value  can  only 
be  fully  appreciated  by  those  who  know,  by  a  profitable  expe- 
rience, that  the  highest  amount  of  speed  of  which  a  horse  is 
capable  can  only  be  developed  and  maintained  by  a  judicious 
application  of  the  principles  of  treatment  it  is  the  aim  of  this 
work  to  elucidate  and  to  recommend. 


THE     '  NO     CONTRACTION"    AND 
"NON-EXPANSION"   HERESIES. 


*   ♦   » 


PRELIMINARY  REMARKS. 

Having  gained  a  perception  of  the  facts  and  inductive  truths 
of  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  equine  foot,  we  shall  be 
prepared  to  enter  upon  the  consideration  of  the  pathology  and 
therapeutics — in  other  words,  the  diseases  that  affect  that  organ 
and  their  remedies.  With  such  a  preparation,  the  task  is  an 
easy  one  ;  but,  before  I  address  myself  immediately  to  this  task, 
I  feel  there  is  no  escape  from  the  performance  of  a  duty  which 
the  position  I  occupy  as  a  teacher  has  imposed  upon  me, 
namely,  that  of  encountering  and  doing  battle  with  a  couple  of 
twin  heresies,  whose  only  success  has  been  in  disturbing  the 
peace  of  the  profession,  such  as  it  was,  without  in  anywise  sub- 
stituting a  more  solid  basis  for  its  repose  than  it  previously  pos- 
sessed. If  these  no  contraction  and  non-expansion  heresies  were 
merely  speculative  in  their  character,  their  adoption  or  rejec- 
tion would  be  of  little  moment.  It  will  be  shown,  however, 
that  a  long  catalogue  of  calamitous  consequences  is,  and  must 
be,  the  inevitable  consequence  of  the  adoption  of  these  perni- 
cious errors.  While  sitting  at  the  feet  of  our  modern  Gama- 
liels, it  was  my  duty  to  listen  respectfully  to  their  teachings. 
So  I  did,  and  armed  to  the  teeth  with  the  theories  I  am  now 
called  upon  to  combat,  I  went  forth  into  the  world  to  do  bat- 
tle with  problems  of  life  and  death,  and  soon  found  myself  but 
poorly  equipped  for  the  occasion,  after  all ;  for  no  amount  of 
plausible  theory  could  extinguish  the  light  of  one  simple  fact 


87 

I  had  been  taught  by  those  who  believe  in  the  gospel  according 
to  Gamgee,  that  Coleman,  Turner,  Bracey  Clark,  Lawrence 
Blaine,  Percivall,  Youett,  Miles,  Spooner,  and  other  distin- 
guished writers  upon  the  foot  of  the  horse,  had  all  been  the  vic- 
tims of  a  hallucination  upon  the  questions  of  functional  expan- 
sibility and  morbid  contraction,  and  were  "  blind  leaders  of  the 
blind,"  and  their  teachings  an  u  ignus  fatuus,"  "mere  coinage 
of  the  brain,"  "  chimerical,"  "mythical,"  and  so  forth. 

It  was  not  until  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with  pathological 
problems,  upon  the  correct  solution  of  which  depended  my 
"daily  bread,"  that  I  discovered  the  real  danger  of  the  no  con- 
traction and  non-expansion  heresies ;  for  how  could  I  consist- 
ently apply  measures  or  remedies  which  directly  contradicted 
such  views  ?  I  was  unable  to  cope  with  such  cases  until  I 
found  one  fact  that  was  sufficient  to  dispel  the  whole  brood  of 
crudescent  fancies  which  I  had  acquired  under  the  influence  of 
the  teaching  of  "eminent  authorities."  This  one  fact  has  been 
the  open  sesame  to  a  veritable  cave  of  mystery  which  a  few,  indeed, 
have  essayed  to  enter,  but  have  halted  upon  its  "  precincts,"  and 
still  fewer  have  been  found  to  penetrate  and  explore  its  myste- 
rious recesses. 

FACTS  VERSUS  THEORIES. 

Opportunities  were  soon  afforded  me  of  testing  the  truth  of 
the  new  or  the  old  doctrines,  for  there  is  no  middle  ground  in 
this  question.  I  was  compelled  to  yield  to  the  irresistible  logic 
of  facts.  My  practice  has  taken  precedence  of  my  theory  in 
this  connection.  Upon  the  facts  of  practice  my  theory  is  based. 
The  facts  are  irresistible  and  indisputable,  and  upon  these  I 
take  my  stand,  and  am  prepared  to  submit  my  practice  to  any 
fair  practical  test.  The  theory  may  be  doubted,  questioned, 
nay,  utterly  annihilated  by  one  better  versed  than  myself  in  the 
art  of  chopping  logic.  As  to  the  practical  facts,  however, 
which  are  of  greater  moment  than  any  theory,  however  plaus- 
ible, no  weapon  of  logic  has  ever  been  constructed  that  can  so 
much  as  indent  its  impenetrable  armature.     Fortunately,  the 


88 

theory  and  practice  which  I  have  yet  to  unfold  in  these  pages 
are  so  simple  and  so  reciprocal  each  to  the  other,  and  so  read- 
ily demonstrable,  that  they  verify  and  confirm  each  other. 


CONRACTION  AS  A  MORBID  CONDITION. 

THE  REVIEWER  REVIEWED. 

Professor  Gamgee,  senior,  a  distinguished  equine  foot-path- 
ologist, or  may  I  say  hippedopathologist,  in  a  reries  of  ably 
written  articles  in  the  pages  of  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Re- 
view, some  ten  years  since,  endeavored  to,  and  did  to  a  certain 
extent,  revolutionize  all  the  then  prevailing  opinions  regarding 
the  various  functions  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  and  their  relations 
to  the  movements  of  the  animal. 

The  marked  ability  with  which  these  questions  were  treated, 
and  the  prestige  which  accompanied  his  name  must  have  had 
considerable  influence  upon  the  minds  of  every  one  who  read 
those  articles,  as  they  had  upon  mine.  Indeed,  at  the  present 
time,  those  articles  are  being  extensively  quoted  and  their 
author's  name  mentioned  as  the  best  English  authority  in  some 
of  the  Agricultural  journals  of  this  country.  There  being  no 
middle-ground  of  compromise ;  no  stand-point  that  would  em- 
brace the  old  and  the  new ;  I  forsook  the  old  and  embraced 
the  new.  Mr.  Gamgee  became  the  apostle  of  a  new  dispensa- 
tion in  my  estimation  as  regards  "  the  foot  and  its  func- 
tions." But  for  a  brief  period  only,  for  the  new  views  were 
contradicted  daily  by  the  facts  and  observations  of  experience, 
nay  more,  by  demonstrations  as  certainly  truthful  as  "any 
demonstration  to  be  found  in  the  pages  of  Euclid.  Of  course, 
my  whilom  idol  fell  from  its  pedestal,  and  since  then  I  pay 
homage  only  at  the  shrine  of  facts,  not  ' going  a  cent''  upon  the 
authority  of  a  name  nor  upon  the  sanctions  that  are  supposed 
to  accompany  "  hair's  grown  gray  '  in  professional  harness,  if 
they  have  not  a  solid  backing  of  facts. 


89 


AGE  NOT  THE  MEASURE  OF  EXPERIENCE. 

An  eminent  practical  surgeon  has  said,  "  Years  are  not  the 
measure  of  experience.  It  does  not  follow  that  the  older  a 
surgeon  is,  the  more  experienced  and  trustworthy  he  must  be. 
The  greatest  number  of  well-assorted  facts  on  a  particular  sub- 
ject constitutes  experience,  whether  these  facts  have  been 
culled  in  five  or  fifty  years."  "It  is  not  the  extent  merely,  but 
the  extent  in  relation  to  the  quality  of  the  experience  that 
turns  the  lessons  to  profit." 

"BE  JUST  AND  FEAR  NOT." 

As  I  regard  the  foot  and  its  functions,  the  final  function  of 
locomotion  is  the  aggregate  result  of  a  series  of  minor  functions, 
all  acting  in  harmonious  combination.  It  is  possible  to  have 
correct  views  of  some  of  these  minor  functions,  and  incorrect 
views  of  others.  Thus  I  can  consistently  credit  Mr.  Gamgee 
with  having  exposed  one  of  the  most  dangerous  errors  that 
have  long  prevailed  with  regard  to  the  functions  of  the  horny 
sole.  And,  if  I  were  not  sufficiently  armed  with  facts,  I  should 
hesitate  before  I  entered  the  lists  of  controversy  with  such  a 
redoubtable  old  swordsman  or  penman  as  Mr.  Gamgee  un- 
doubtedly is.  That  gentleman,  however,  must  be  content  to 
have  his  utterances  reviewed  according  to  the  same  canons 
of  criticism  as  those  by  which  he  judges  the  views  and  opinions 
of  others  in  the  same  field  of  investigation.  He  has  sacrificed 
distinguished  names  and  reputations  upon  what  he  deems  the 
Altar  of  Truth,  in  the  interests  of  veterinary  science.  He 
must  therefore  surrender  his  own  to  the  sacrificial  knife,  if  it 
should  be  demanded  in  the  name  of  the  same  goddess,  and  in 
the  interest  of  veterinary  science. 

THE  ESSENCE  OF  GAMGEE. 

Respecting  Contraction  as  a  morbid  condition  of  the  foot  of 
the  horse,  Mr.  Gamgee  denies  the  existence  of  any  such  con- 
dition, without  any  qualification  whatever.  I  will  select  a  few 
of  his  utterances  upon  this  subject.     "  If  it  be  true,  as  I  believe 

G 


90 

it  is,  that  language  constitutes  the  key  to  the  sciences,  it  must 
be  equally  evident  that  language  wrongly  used,  tends  to  con- 
vey relatively  false  notions ;  and  that  such  is  the  case  regard- 
ing the  word  contraction  in  its  common  acceptation,  in  speaking 
and  writing  about  horses'  feet,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  prove. 
The  word  '  contraction '  is  used  to  describe  a  narrow  or  small 
foot  of  the  horse."  "I  conceive  it  expedient  to  test  the  value 
of  the  word  contraction  in  its  relation  to  the  foot  of  the  horse." 

"  The  prevailing  notions  are  alike  inconsistent  with  fact  and 
reason  regarding  contraction.  An  imaginary  evil  has  been 
created,  and  an  indefinite  number  of  equally  imaginary  measures, 
to  subdue  a  myth,  and  in  those  measures  lie  the  real  evils." 

"  If  we  could  dismiss  from  our  minds  the  word  '  contraction  ' 
and  all  ideas  of  the  inward  pressure  implied,  and  adopt  instead 
the  word  atrophy,  we  should  have  a  meaning  given,  to  almost 
all  the  deranged  states  of  the  rfoot  of  the  horse,  whether  the 
cause  be  want  of  development  through  perversion  of  natural 
influences,  or  whether  it  be  the  effect  of  misapplied  art  subse- 
quently; atrophy,  which  means  wasting,  or  lack  of  nutrition, 
would  indicate  the  true  condition  of  the  foot,  and  lead  to  in- 
quiry after  causes. 

"There  are  many  of  the  most  common  affections  of  horses' 
feet  which  have  yet  to  be  described,  and  which  require  the 
attention  their  nature  demands.  Atrophy  is  the  word  that 
clearly  indicates  these,  whether  speaking  of  a  particular  tissue 
or  several  component  parts  of  the  same  organ." 

THE  CASE  STATED. 

From  these  extracts  it  appears  to  me  perfectly  clear  that  Mr. 
Gamgee  objects  to  the  use  of  the  word  '  contraction  '  in  its  com- 
mon acceptation  when  used  to  denote  a  commonly  diseased 
condition  of  horses'  feet.  That  the  word  atrophy  would  best 
express  almost  all  the  deranged  states  of  the  foot  of  the  horse. 
That  the  etymological  value  should  be  tested  to  prove  this. 
That  the  wrong  use  of  a  word  has  led  to  the  creation  of  an 
imaginary  evil,  and  equally  imaginary  measures  to  subdue  a 
myth,  and  in  these  imaginary  measures  lay  the  real  evil.     There 


91 

is  no  hair-splitting  about  a  word ;  '  contraction  '  expresses  no 
real  condition  of  a  diseased  foot ;  atrophy,  almost  every  dis- 
eased condition. 

AN  IMPORTANT  OMISSION  SUPPLIED. 

I  looked  in  vain  for  the  promised  "test  of  value"  of  the 
words  contraction  and  atrophy,  etymological  or  otherwise,  but 
not  being  able  to  find  any  in  Mr.  Gamgee's  lucubrations,  I  have 
endeavored  to  supply  the  omission.  This  omission  was  very 
much  to  be  regretted  as  "  correct  language  is  a  key  to  the 
sciences,"  and  for  the  want  of  this  key  all  our  predecessors  in 
this  department  of  veterinary  pathology  have  been  creating 
imaginary  evils  and  imaginary  measures,  and  real  evils  have 
been  the  result,  so  says  Mr.  Gamgee. 

''LANGUAGE  IS  THE  KEY  TO  THE  SCIENCES." 

We  will  therefore  test  the  value  of  the  word  '  contraction  ' 
before  we  dismiss  it  to  the  limbo  of  obsolete  terms,  and  of  the 
word  atrophy  before  we  clutch  it  to  our  bosoms  as  the  one  thing 
needful  in  veterinary  nosology.  This  must  be  the  all-important 
inquiry  according  to  Mr.  Gamgee,  since  the  wrong  use  of  a 
word  has  led  to  such  calamities  to  horses  that  we  in  common 
deplore  and  attempt  to  remove  or  at  least  to  mitigate.  Is  con- 
traction, then,  the  meaningless  term  that  Mr.  Gamgee  alleges 
it  to  be  when  applied  to  certain  diseased  conditions  of  horses' 
feet  ?  According  to  '  Webster '  the  term  implies  an  act,  or  a 
state ;  the  act  of  contracting,  or  shortening ;  the  act  of  shrink- 
ing or  shrivelling;  and  the  state  of  being  shortened,  shrunk  or 
shrivelled,  or  drawn  into  a  narrow  compass.  Entick's  Latin 
Dictionary  informs  us  that  the  adjective  contractus  means  con- 
tracted, shortened,  abridged,  drawn,  or  gotten  together,  raised, 
gathered,  wrinkled,  shrivelled,  joined  close,  riveted,  narrozu,  straight, 
difficult.  These  various  meanings  must  therefore  give  the  noun 
contraction  a  pretty  wide  range  of  application.  One  can 
almost  imagine  the  lexicographer  to  have  had  a  horse's  foot  in 
,his  'mind's  eye  '  when  he  penned  the  above  definition  of  con- 


92 

traclus,  for  how  could  we  better  describe  the  condition  of  very 
large  numbers  of  horses'  feet,  than  by  saying  they  were  drawn 
or  gotten  together,  at  the  heels,  narrow  in  the  quarters,  the  in- 
side quarter  generally  raised  above  the  other,  sometimes  both 
quarters  unnaturally  raised,  gathered  in,  or  joined  close  in  the 
medial  frog-fissure,  straight  or  upright  quarters  ;  wrinkled  and 
shrivelled  walls  and  heels,  and  lastly  difficult;  difficult  indeed 
for  the  poor  horse  to  travel  with  such  a  locomotive  apparatus 
as  this,  and  most  difficult  usually  to  heal. 

AUTHORIZED   DEFINITIONS. 

From  these  it  appears  to  me  that  the  word"  contraction  '  not 
only  includes  various  conditions,  whether  of  diseased  horses' 
feet,  or  otherwise,  but   that   it  has   both  an  active  and  passive 
signification,  the  act  of  contracting  and  the  state  of  contraction, 
which  extends  its  range  of  application  considerably;  for  have 
we  not  evidence  of  both  active  and  passive  contraction  in  the 
various  forms  and  stages  and  degrees  in  which  it  is  met  ?     In 
the  majority  of  cases  that  have  come  under  my  notice,  I  believe 
the  active  has  preceded  the  passive ;  in  fact,  has  produced  the 
passive  condition.     I  therefore  cannot  coincide  with  Mr.  Gam- 
gee  in  the  opinion  that  the  use   of  the   word   'Contraction'  in 
the  common  acceptation  of  that  term,  is  the  "  source  of  imagin- 
ary measures  to  subdue  myths,"  and  for  myself  shall,  in  a  gen- 
eral  way,  abide  by   the   common   acceptation  of  its  meaning. 
When  a  nice  distinction  is  necessary  it  will  be  time  to  indulge  in 
it. 

WHAT  DOES  ATROPHY  MEAN.? 

The  one  essential  idea  conveyed  by  it  is  wasting  for  lack  of 
nutrition.  Atrophy  is  a  very  useful  word  employed  in  the 
right  place,  but  its  signification  is  too  limited  to  truly  indicate 
many  of  the  most  common  affections  of  horses'  feet.  It  will 
indicate  one  condition  and  no  more. 

Let  us  test  ■ 


93 

THE  VALUE  OF  THE  WORD  ATROPHY 

a  little  further.  Will  atrophy  indicate  acute  or  sub-acute  local 
inflammation  ?  Yet  this  is  a  condition  of  the  foot,  the  most 
commonly  met  with.  Will  it  suit  inflammation  of  any  specific 
tissue  of  the  foot  ?  I  trow  not.  Will  it  imply  hypertrophy  or 
ossification  of  the  lateral  cartilages,  Corns,  Cracks,  or  Quittors? 
These  are  very  common  affections  of  horses'  feet.  The  atro- 
phied foot  is  comparatively  a  rare  one.  It  is  usually  met  with 
when  one  foot  is  smaller  than  the  other  and  is  usually  found 
in  association  with  a  shrunken  and  wasted  shoulder,  and  arm. 
I  regard  this  as  an  atrophied  condition  of  the  whole  limb. 

It  is  now  ten  years  since  this  new  gospel  was  preached,  and 
illustrious  converts  were  made,  who  abjured  the  doctrines  they 
had  long  taught  upon  this  subject.  I  should  like  to  know 
what  gain  to  science  has  resulted  from  the  change  of 
nomenclature  introduced  by  Professor  Garngee  ? 

If  the  use  of  the  word  contraction  wrongly,  has  been  pro- 
ductive of  so  much  "  imaginary  disorder  and  imaginary  treat- 
ment," surely  the  truly  expressive  word  for  "  almost  every 
condition  of  the  diseased  feet  of  horses  "  must  have  led  to  an 
opposite  result?  If  mere  words  have  the  power  which  Mr. 
Gamgee  ascribes  to  them,  the  millennial  period  for  horses  ought 
surely  to  have  arrived  by  this  time.  If  it  has  we  have  not  yet 
been  apprised  of  it  in  Chicago. 

FACTS  VERSUS  FALLACIES. 

Having,  I  think,  settled  the  question  of  fitness  of  the  word 
contraction,  and  atrophy,  to  certain  diseased  conditions  of  horses' 
feet,  we  will  leave  the  words,  which  are  but  signs,  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  and  discuss  the  realities  they  represent. 
Take  another  glance  at  the  detached  hoof.  It  has  an  upper 
and  lower  circumferent  margin,  the  posterior  terminations  of 
these  margins  meeting  together  and  merging  into  a  triple-com- 
missured  substance  called  the  horny  frog. 

It  has  been  said  that  no  two  human  faces  are  exactly  alike. 
I  believe  that  no  two  equine  feet  are  exactly  alike ;  not  even 


94 

those  belonging  to  the   same  horse.     The    resemblances   are 
general,  not  particular. 

VARIETIES  OF  FEET— HOW  PRODUCED. 

Professor  Gerard,  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Foot,  enumerates 
no  less  than  twenty  varieties  of  feet  to  be  met  with  either  in  a 
natural  or  diseased  state.  Spooner,  in  his  Treatise  on  the 
Foot,  alleges  that  the  various  appearances  and  arrangements  of 
the  parts  of  the  foot,  "will  admit  of  almost  as  many  varieties 
as  the  arrangement  of  an  equal  number  of  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet."  The  general  causes  of  these  diversities  of  shape 
and  form  arise  mainly  out  of  the  necessity  for  affixing  a  metal- 
lic protection,  by  means  of  nails,  to  the  foot ;  affixing  it  in  an 
unscientific  manner,  and  by  neglect  and  mismanagement  in  the 
stable. 

The  fundamental  proximate  cause  of  these  varieties  of  de- 
parture from  the  general  healthy  form  is  the  inherent  property 
horn  possesses,  by  which  a  change  of  form  can  be  induced  by  the 
operation  of  other  causes.  It  is  growing  more  or  less  rapidly 
all  the  time,  and  from  this  cause  alone  an  easy  shoe  to-day 
may  be  a  tight  one  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  a  fortnight,  and 
may  be  producing  a  gradual  change  in  form,  by  a  passive  resist- 
ance to  expansion  of  the  hoof  from  growth,  inducing  thereby  a 
gradual  contraction  of  its  fibres  and  a  consequent  gradual 
alteration  in  form  and  structure,  of  the  hoof. 

THE  EFFECTS  OF  A  DRY  ATMOSPHERE. 

Experience  has  taught  me  that  horses'  feet  are  injuriously 
affected  by  an  unusually  dry  condition  of  the  atmosphere. 
They  become  hard,  dry,  and  contracted,  in  the  ordinary  sense 
of  the  term,  and  the  most  frequent  result  of  these  conditions  is 
a  split  or  crack,  chiefly  in  the  inside  quarter,  where  the  wall  is 
thinnest,  and  most  readily  gives  way.  I  believe  that  of  every 
twenty  horses  that  I  treated  for  lameness  in  Colorado,  eighteen 
of  them  were  affected  with  a  split  hoof,  which  I  could  only 
attribute  to  the  extreme  dryness  of  the  atmosphere,  a  condition 


95 

Mr.  Gamgee  thinks  "  the  most  favorable  for  the  development  of 
horses'  feet,"  and  therefore  condemns  the  frequent  use  of  water 
and  other  dressings  to  those  organs. 

VARIETIES  AND  EFFECTS  OF  CONTRACTION. 

Whether  active  contraction  takes  place  at  the  upper  or  the 
lower  circumferent  margins  first  will  depend  upon  circum- 
stances ;  and  whether  contraction  precedes  expansion,  will  also 
depend  upon  other  active  causes;  but  I  have  always  found  that 
if  one  margin  be  expanded,  the  other  is  contracted.  For  ex- 
ample, when  coarctation  or  contraction  of  the  upper  circum- 
ferent margin  of  the  wall  takes  place,  there  is  a  corresponding 
enlargement  of  the  area  of  the  lower  one,  giving  the  bell-shaped 
form  of  foot.  No  ''atrophy'*  can  be  implied  in  this  condition. 
It  is  simply  an  alteration  of  the  external  form,  induced  by  ex- 
traneous influences,  gaining  as  much  in  one  direction  as  it  loses 
in  another.  I  regard  it  as  a  stricture  or  contraction  of  the  hoof, 
and  when  it  is  the  cause  of  lameness,  a  removal  of  the  stricture 
removes  the  lameness.  How  this  stricture  can  be  removed  will 
be  shown  by  and  by.  It  is  not  an  unfrequent  source  of  lame- 
ness, and  in  general  it  is  easily  removed,  leaving  the  animal 
perfectly  sound  in  action.  Reverse  these  conditions,  and  we 
have  the  most  frequent  cause  of  lameness,  and,  moreover,  is 

THE  INVARIABLE  CAUSE  OF  QUARTER-CRACKS. 

Let  the  lower  margin  of  the  wall  co-arct,  or  close  in  preter- 
naturally  at  the  quarters,  and  there  will  be  a  corresponding 
enlargement  of  area  at  the  upper  margin.  The  coronary  liga- 
ment receives  an  undue  amount  of  pressure,  and  quarter-crack 
is  the  very  common  result.  One  of  the  most  common  causes 
of  this  falling  in  or  wiring  in  of  the  quarters  is  "  cleaning  out 
the  heels  "  whenever  the  horse  is  shod,  and  exposing  the  soft  ' 
parts  to  the  drying,  and  therefore  contracting,  influences  of  the 
atmosphere.  Occasionally  there  is  lameness  when  the  crack 
starts;  sometimes  there  is  none.  There  is  obviously  here  an 
outward  pressure  of  the  internal  tissues,  which  are  not  permit- 


96 

ted  to  exert  their  force  at  the  bottom  of  the  foot,  where  the 
wall  is  strongest,  by  reason  of  the  wired  in  or  contracted  con- 
dition of  that  portion  of  the  quarters.     Atrophy  of  those  tissues, 
producing 'atrophy  of  the  hoof  structures,  I  think  would  be  a 
very  unsatisfactory  explanation  of  the  phenomenal  conditions 
under  consideration.     There  is  crowding,  pressure,  enlargement, 
bursting  out,  and  rupture  of  the  horny  investment,  but  no  wasting 
or  shrinking  implied  at  this  stage  of  the  malady.     I  find  inva- 
riably associated  with  quarter-crack  this  contracted  lower  mar- 
gin ;  and   as  I   cannot,  for  very  obvious  reasons,  consider  the 
crack  the  cause  of  the  contraction,  I  assign  the  cause  of  the 
crack  to  contraction.     The  cure  of  contraction  is  also  the  cure 
of  the  crack,  and  the  cure  of  the  crack  is  the  cure  of  contrac- 
tion.    The  cause  and  the  effect  are  both  removable  at  the  same 
time.     I  will  make  it  appear  at  the  proper  place  that  a  crack 
of  this  nature  can  be  closed  up  effectually,  without  a  nail,  clasp 
or  rivet  other  than  what  goes  through  the  shoe,  or  ligature  of 
any  kind.     The  lameness  consequent  upon  these  lesions  of  the 
hoof  disappear  usually  within  a  fortnight.     The  cracks  can  never 
be  burst  open   again  while  the  shoe  is  properly  attached,  and 
remains   stronger  than  the  hoof.     I  have  treated  hundreds  of 
such  cases,  and  a  single  failure  is  unknown  to  me.     Not  a  mark 
is  made  with  a  knife  or  firing-iron  upon  the  external  surface  of 
the  hoof,  and  it  would  require  an  acute  observer  to  detect  the 
existence  of  a  crack,  or  that  anything  whatever  had  been  done 
to  the  feet.     No  mean  advantage,  this,  over  every  other  plan 
of  treatment.     Even  the  bar-shoe  is  dispensed  with. 


THE   DISEASES  OF  THE  FOOT  OF 

THE  HORSE. 


CONTRACTION. 

SYMPTOMS  AND  TREATMENT. 

The  reader  will  now  be  prepared  to  follow  me  intelligently 
in  the  practical  application  of  the  theory  with  which  I  should 
expect  he  is  tolerably  familiar. 

The  evidences  of  contraction  are  both  positive  and  negative. 

POSITIVE  AND  NEGATIVE  EVIDENCE. 

Positive  evidence  is  the  shape  and  contour  of  the  foot.  A 
practiced  eye  can  detect  a  contracted  foot  without  lifting  it 
from  the  ground,  or  seeing  the  animal  move,  by  standing  in 
front  of  the  animal  and  noting  the  inclination  of  the  quarters — 
that  is,  whether  they  incline  downwards  and  outwards,  which  is 
normal,  or  downwards  and  inwards,  which  is  abnormal.  This 
latter  condition  is  that  termed  zuiring  in,  and  if  a  horse  with- 
such  quarters  is  not  lame  in  some  degree,  he  is  in  a  fair  way  of 
becoming  so,  or  else,  what  sometimes  occurs,  the  internal  struc- 
tures of  his  feet  have  become  adapted  to  the  changed  contour 
of  the  hoof.  These  are  exceptional  cases,  however;  the  former 
constitute  the  rule.  The  touch  of  the  finger  or  open  hand  of 
experience  will  detect  the  slightest  departure  from  natural  tem- 
perature. The  normal  temperature  of  the  healthy  foot  is  that 
of  the  surrounding  atmosphere.  Any  increase  or  decrease  from 
this  criterion  is  abnormal.  Lameness  or  tenderness,  in  the 
absence  of  any  other  symptom  sufficient  to  account  for  its  ex- 
istence, would  complete  the  positive  evidence  of  a  morbidly 
contracted  condition  of  the  foot.  It  is  that  absence  that  con- 
stitutes the  negative  evidence  in  such  a  case.  No  crack,  corn, 
bruise,  or  sprain  being  detected,  the  inference  is  a  tolerably 
safe  one  that  simple  contraction  is  present.  I  may  here  inform 
the  student  that,  having  mastered  the  details  of  the  operation 


98 

for  contraction,  he  has  acquired  in  the  main  all  that  is  neces- 
sary for  the  safe  application  of  it  to  all  the  other  diseases  of  the 
foot.  Some  minor  details  only  will  have  to  be  described  as 
applicable  to  each  particular  case. 

It  is  desirable  in  all  cases  where  the  foot  is  hard  and  unyield- 
ing to  immerse  the  foot  or  feet  in  a  warm  flax-seed  poultice  for 
24  hours  before  operating;  but  this  is  not  essential.  The  foot 
can  be  prepared,  the  shoe  attached,  and  the  poulticing  take 
place  afterwards,  if  certain  exigencies,  of  time  or  other  circum- 
stances, do  not  admit  of  the  opposite  course. 

If  the  foot  is  in  a  fair  condition  for  expanding,  the  foregoing 
observations  do  not  apply. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  FOOT. 

First,  the  old  shoe  being  removed,  be  sure  about  the  exist- 
ence of  corns.  Sometimes  they  lie  concealed,  and  if  not  de- 
tected and  disposed  of,  will  occasion  disappointment.  Being 
satisfied  that  there  are  no  corns, and  that  the  case  is  one  of  con- 
traction only,  proceed  to  examine  the  state  of  the  quarters,  as 
to  whether  they  are  weak,  thin,  shelly,  and  brittle,  or  whether 
they  are  strong,  thick,  tough,  and  sound,  with  reference  to 
their  capacities  for  the  reception  of  nails  into  their  substance, 
remembering  that  the  shoe  has  not  merely  to  be  attached  to 
the  quarters,  but  that  the  nails  must  grip  them  so  firmly^  that 
when  the  shoe  is  expanded  the  quarters  will  be  expanded  like- 
wise in  the  same  act. 

Passing  the  nails  through  the  centre  of  the  substance  of  the 
wall  is  not  sufficient,  however  high  they  may  be  driven,  as 
they  are  apt  to  burst  out  when  force  is  applied  to  them.  The 
nail  should  be  pointed  fairly  within  the  inner  edge  of  the  wall, 
and  take  a  short  firm  grip,  the  nails  coming  out  not  higher 
than  one  inch  from  the  shoe.  Nothing  short  of  this  will  be 
sufficient  for  the  purpose.  If  the  capacity  of  the  wall  be 
doubted  to  stand  this  kind  of  nailing,  it  is  better  to  omit  nails 
in  the  quarters  and  apply  a  shoe  with  inside  clips  turned  up  at 
the  extreme  ends  of  the  shoe. 

In  preparing  the  foot,  the  next  point  to  consider  is 


99 

FORM. 

By  form  is  meant  the  proper  angle  or  slope  of  the  foot.  If 
the  foot  is  too  long  at  the  toe  it  is  equivalent  to  lowering  the 
heel  and  increasing  the  strain  upon  the  flexor  tendon.  It  also 
lowers  the  instep,  and  frequently  presses  the  tendon  of  the 
extensor  between  the  hoof  and  the  highest  part  of  the  coffin- 
bone,  while  if  it  is  too  elevated  at  the  heels,  which  again  is 
equivalent  to  being  too  low  at  the  toes,  a  tendency  to  fall  or 
stumble  is  promoted  by  it. 

When  there  is  an  abundance  of  horn,  and  the  foot  will  bear 
some  reduction  in  size,  the  reduction  should  be  made  in  refer- 
ence to  the  slope  of  the  fetlock.  As  a  rule,  the  slope  of  the 
foot  should  be  a  continuation  of  the  slope  of  the  fetlock.  If 
the  heels  are  low  and  weak,  they  must  not  be  made  a  particle 
lower,  but  the  strength  and  thickness  of  the  shoes  at  heels  and 
toes  must  be  considered  with  reference  to  the  same  points, 
namely  :  the  just  equilibrium  of  the  animal  over  himself,  pre- 
ferring a  slight  extra  elevation  to  any  undue  depression  of  the 
heels.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the  horse  is  being  shod  to 
correct  certain  pathological  conditions,  and  that  the  floors  of 
almost  every  stable  have  a  sloping  surface,  it  will  be  seen  how 
much  a  little  extra  elevation  of  the  heels  will  contribute  to  his 
standing  at  ease  in  the  stable,  and  how  injurious  the  opposite 
condition  must  be. 

After  the  pathological  shoes  have  done  their  work,  the  use  of 
the  same  kind  of  shoe  should  be  continued,  omitting  the  back- 
nailing^  and  using  calks  or  not,  or  modifying  them  to  suit  the 
animal's  habits  of  going.  As  a  rule  I  do  not  approve  of  the 
use  of  toe-calks  except  under  special  circumstances,  such  as 
for  slow  draught  work,  and  during  the  continuance  of  frosty 
weather  when  their  use  appears  to  be  indispensible. 

I  may  further  remark  that  I  think  no  shoes  should  remain 
upon  the  feet  of  any  horse,  without  being  removed  or  renewed, 
whether  the  animal  is  working  or  resting  for  longer  than  twenty 
days. 

To  return  to  the  preparation  of  the  foot.  After  a  perfectly 
level  bearing  has  been  obtained  for  the  shoe,  not  a  particle  of 


100 

the  sole  should  be  removed  by  the  knife,  neither  fore  nor  aft. 
The  heels  require  opening  as  far  as  can  be  done  without  draw- 
ing blood,  and  the  opening  in  any  case  should  not  be  larger 
than  is  necessary  for  the  Clip  to  fit  into  it,  and  grip  the  quar- 
ters behind  what  is  called  the  angle  of  inflection.  If  nailing 
should  be  resolved  upon,  one  nail  should  be  got  into  this 
very  spot,  the  others  at  distances  dividing  the  nailing  space 
between  them  evenly. 

The  line  of  union  between  the  frog  and  bars  should  be  weak- 
ened slightly  towards  the  apex  of  the  frog,  but  deeply  poste- 
riorly into  the  commissures.  The  central  frog-fissure  should 
be  opened  a  little  through  the  centre  from  base  to  apex. 

I  must  here  acquaint  the  student  of  the  intention  to  cause 
the  principal  expansion  of  the  hoof  right  through  the  centre.  It 
is  not  the  sides  or  quarters  that  is  to  be  torn  from  their  imme- 
diate connections  as  some  have  imagined,  but  the  hoof  is  made 
to  expand  by  widening  the  area  of  the  large  triangular  fissure 
into  which  the  frog  is  inserted  like  a  wedge.  The  frog  has 
also  a  central  fissure  which  makes  it  easy  for  it  to  yield.  The 
frog  has  then  more  room,  internally  and  externally,  and  this 
is  the  objective  point  to  attain.     Give  all  the  tissues  room  and 

that  is  really  all  that  is  needed. 

The  one  necessary  condition  in  the  form  of  the  shoe,  is  that 

it   shall  have  a  flat,   even-bearing  surface,  upon  sole  and  wall 

alike,  extending  fully  over  the  anterior  two-thirds  of  the  foot 

THE   BEST   KIND  OF  SHOE. 

The  convex  shoe  as  understood  by  horse-shoers,  supplies  this 
condition.  Such  a  shoe  should  be  fitted  as  directed,  the  heels 
have  a  good  cover  even  if  a  small  portion  of  the  frog  has  to  be 
removed  to  effect  this.  The  outer  superior  edge  of  the  shoe 
should  be  made  to  coincide  with  the  outer  inferior  edge  of  the 
wall,  right  home  to  the  heels. 

A  short-heeled  shoe  will  spoil  the  whole  thing.  Never  mind 
appearances  if  the  shoes  are  narrow  at  the  heels.  The  di- 
lator will  change  all  that. 


101 

NAIL  HOLES  AND  NAILING. 

In  punching  the  nail-holes  due  regard  must  be  had  to  the 
substance  of  the  wall  and  its  obliquity,  as  a  corresponding  ob- 
lique direction  must  be  given  to  the  nail-holes.  Without  this 
precaution  the  whole  work  will  be  nullified,  unless  clips  are 
used. 

When  the  shoe  is  properly  fitted,  it  should  be  finished  in 
the  vice,  sharp  edges  and  burrs  being  removed  with  rasp  or  file. 
An  important  point  (every  point  is  important  in  this  operation), 
is  to  weaken  the  shoe  at  the  point  it  is  desirable  for  it  to  yield, 
when  the  dilator  is  applied.  By  the  position  of  the  weak  part 
of  the  shoe  it  can  be  made  to  yield  in  any  outward  direction 
desirable.  If  it  is  desired  to  expand  both  sides,  the  nick  in  the 
form  of  a  V  should  be  made  as  near  the  centre  of  the  toe  as 
possible,  on  its  inner  edge.  If  one  side  only  is  to  be  expanded, 
the  nick  must  be  made  away  from  the  centre  to  the  side  it  is 
proposed  to  expand.  Whether  with  clips  or  back-nails,  the 
shoe  should  be  nailed  on  rather  lightly  than  otherwise. 

1  Close  up  '  and  '  draw  on  '  very  lightly,  remembering  that  the 
foot  has  to  be  immersed  in  a  poultice,  and  that  this  will  tighten 
the  nails  to  some  extent,  and  further  that  the  animal  is  under- 
going a  surgical  operation  and  is  not  intended  for  work  until 
these  shoes  have  been  removed  and  nailing  suited  to  the  work 
or  exercise  the  animal  is  required  to  perform,  is  adapted. 

The  dilator  may  now  be  applied,  its  arms  being  inserted 
within  the  heels  of  the  shoe,  and  two  or  three  gradual  turns  of 
the  screw  taken.  At  every  turn  of  the  screw  the  foot  should 
be  surveyed  to  see  that  the  nails  or  the  clips  are  acting  fairly. 
The  instant  the  horse  evinces  the  least  uneasiness,  the  ex- 
pansion should  be  stayed,  the  foot  placed  in  a  poultice,  and 
another  turn  or  two  of  the  dilator  'given  the  next  day  or  the 
day  following.  This  is  continued  until  good  full-sized  heels 
are  obtained  and  the  animal  is  free  from  lameness.  The  poul- 
tices should  be  kept  on  night  and  day,  and  except  during  the 
time  allotted  for  exercise,  which  should  be  given  from  the  first 
or  second  day,  beginning  with  half  an  hour's  exercise  a  day, 


102 

* 

and  gradually  increasing  according  to  the  animal's  capability, 
feeding  well  the  whole  time. 

In  about  a  week's  time,  should  the  lameness  not  disappear, 
or  the  case  should  not  appear  to  progress  satisfactorily,  the 
shoes  should  be  removed  and  an  examination  made ;  the  ob- 
stacles to  progress  discovered  if  possible;  a  re-adjustment  of 
the  shoes  effected,  and  cautious  dilation  again  pursued,  not  for- 
getting the  persistent  use  of  the  softening  poultice,  both  night 
and  day.  There  is  not  more  than  one  case  in  a  hundred  of 
simple  contraction  that  will  not  yield  to  simple  expansion. 

In  coarse-bred  horses  the  same  care  should  be  taken  in 
attaching  the  shoe,  but  the  same  nicely  regulated  exercise  is 
not  so  necessary  as  in  the  well-bred  trotter  or  runner.  Light 
work  for  such  horses  is  preferable  to  standing  in  the  stable. 

In  very  many  cases  Sweeny  or  Atrophy  of  the  shoulder  mus- 
cles is  the  result  of  contraction.     See  Article  on  Sweeny. 

LAMINITIS  —  ACUTE     RHEUMATISM.     ACUTE 

FOUNDER. 

SYMPTOMS  AND  TREATMENT. 

There  are  various  designations  of  this  disease,  the  prominent 
symptoms  of  which  are  the  extreme  painfulness  of  progression, 
the  high  sympathetic  fever,  and  the  peculiar  attitude  assumed 
by  the  animal  to  relieve  the  fore  parts  of  its  feet  from  pressure, 
the  very  opposite  symptom  of  the  navicular  disease.  Accord- 
ing to  the  severity  of  the  disease  will  be  the  manifestations  of 
pain,  the  difficulty  of  progression,  and  the  extent  to  which  he 
throws  his  weight  upon  his  heels.  Whether  they  be  hind  or 
fore,  or  all  four,  feet,  the  animal's  endeavor  is  plainly  to  press 
as  little  as  possible  upon  the  fore  parts  of  the  feet.  The  fore 
feet  are  oftener  attacked  than  the  hind  ones;  less  frequently 
are  all  the  four  feet,  and  more  rarely  still  the  hind  without  the 
fore  feet.  It  lies  down,  and  is  very  unwilling  to  rise  when  it  is 
down.  It  wears  a  very  anxious  look  and  painful  expression, 
and  sweats  very  much  in   a  severe  case.     The  temperature  of 


103 

the  foot  is  raised,  the  arteries  throb,  and  the  superficial  veins 
become  very  much  distended.  The  pulse  increases  in  force 
and  number,  frequently  going  up  to  80,  and  even  100.  In 
slight  cases  the  countenance  is  tranquil,  and  he  merely  shifts 
his  weight  from  one  foot  to  the  other.  This  latter  may  be  one 
of  the  fluctuations  of  the  chronic  condition,  attracting  little 
notice,  but  eventually,  in  most  cases,  it  prepares  the  way  for  a 
subsequent  and  more  violent  attack. 

PROXIMATE  CAUSES  OF  LAM1NITIS. 

Some  of  the  immediate  causes  that  contribute  to  an  acute 
attack  of  this  disease  deserve  mention.  Amongst  these  I  deem 
over  exertion,  when  the  animal  is  out  of  tone,  and  the  weather  is 
wet  and  cold,  as  a  very  common  cause  of  this  disorder.  Fast 
driving,  after  standing  inordinately  in  a  stable,  is  very  apt  to 
produce  it,  especially  in  hot  weather,  and  cold  water  being 
given  the  animal  to  drink.  So  that  too  much  or  too  little  work 
may  equally  be  regarded  as  causing  it. 

A  horse  is  often  affected  in  one  foot  after  standing  a  long 
time  upon  it,  in  consequence  of  a  morbid  condition  of  the  other. 
The  standing  necessary  in  such  a  case  is  known  to  be  a  second- 
ary cause  of  this  disease.  Inaction  arrests  the  natural  flow  of 
blood  through  the  veins,  producing  congestion  and  its  conse- 
quences. 

Wheat,  and  all  kinds  of  rich  food  given  or  taken  in  inordi- 
nate quantities  is  a  well-known  cause  that  leads  to  laminitis,  by 
clogging  the  stomach  and  deranging  the  digestive  processes. 

The  thoroughbred  horse  is  more  often  affected  than  any  other 
class  from  the  latter  cause.  High  feeding  and  inactivity,  so 
foreign  to  the  natural  habits  of  the  animal,  leads  to  that  mys- 
terious process  called  metastasis,  affecting  the  brain,  the  thora- 
cic and  abdominal  viscera,  and  the  feet.  I  entertain  no  doubt 
whatever  that  pneumonia  and  pleurisy,  gastritis  and  laminitis, 
and  possibly  other  visceral  derangements,  as  well  as  those  of 
the  skin,  are  often  the  products  of  indigestion. 

Elsewhere  (see  article  on  Tetanus)  I  have  alluded  to  the  func- 
tions of  the  nervous  system,  through  which  the  changes  of  loca- 


104 

tion  in  certain  diseases,  of  which  laminitis  in  one  of  its  forms  is 
effected.  I  am  equally  convinced  that  the  same  or  another 
class  of  diseases, 'namely,  of  the  blood,  in  what  is  called  the 
1  rheumatic  diathesis,'  may  be  inter-communicable  between  the 
respiratory,  the  digestive,  and  the  locomotive  organs,  through 
the  medium,  primarily,  of  the  circulatory  system,  as  well  as  the 
sympathetic  ramifications  of  the  nervous  system.  In  this  view 
may  be  found  a  possible  solution  of 

A  PROBLEM  THAT  PUZZLES  MOST  WRITERS 

to  account  for,  and  an  approach  to  a  rational  explanation  of  the 
modus  operandi  by  which  the  inter-transpositions  of  disease  of 
any  one  organ  to  any  other  may  be  effected ;  in  short,  how  the 
process  termed  matastasis  operates. 

THE  CURE,  "THAT  IS  THE  QUESTION." 

The  various  stages  and  degrees  of  development  of  laminitis 
are  known  by  the  terms  early  and  late,  congestive  and  inflam- 
matory; and  although  the  latter  term  is  objectionable  as  ap- 
plied to  all  morbid  conditions  of  the  laminae,  it  will  be  of  in- 
finitely more  importance  than  discussing  the  propriety  of  the 
term,  to  show  how  the  local  causes,  proximate  and  remote,  that 
produce  this  diseased  condition  can  be  effectually  counter- 
acted, the  morbid  conditions  reversed,  and  the  cure  effected  in 
the  shortest  space  of  time,  and  with  the  least  possible  loss  of 
the  animal's  services,  no  matter  what  stage  of  congestion,  inflam- 
mation, or  disconnection  of  the  laminal  attachments  may  have 
been  reached. 

OCTOGENARIAN  VETERINARIANS. 

I  am  conscious  that  I  am  now  stating  views  which  are  not  in 
accord  with  those  of  all  veterinary  writers  who  have  written 
hitherto  upon  this  subject,  and  that  my  statements  will  excite 
sundry  incredulous  shrugs  of  the  shoulders,  a  dubious  expres- 
sion of  the  lips,  or  a  skeptical  elevation  of  the  eye-brows,  and 
perhaps  all  of  these  together,  on  the  part  of  some  of  our  octo- 


105 

genarian  veterinarians.  "  What !  "  it  will  be  said,  "  Are  we  to 
discard  all  those  principles  of  treatment  of  which  time  and  ex- 
perience has  taught  us  the  expedience  and  suitability,  and  nail 
upon  a  foot  already  suffering  an  extreme  degree  of  pain  a  mass 
of  iron,  the  mere  nailing  on  of  which  must  have  the  effect  of 
inflicting  a  still  higher  degree  of  torture  ?  Such  a  proceeding 
would  be  preposterous  in  the  last  degree ;  absolutely  absurd, 
and  a  piece  of  downright  folly  and  cruelty.  The  man  who  pro- 
poses to  treat  laminitis  by  any  such  means  is  a  knave  or  a  fool, 
or  perhaps  both,  whose  descent  in  the  scale  of  barbarity  has 
reached  the  very  lowest  depths  of  infamous  indifference  to  the 
sufferings  of  the  'noble  horse.'  " 

THE  KIND  OF  RECEPTION. 

This  is  the  kind  of  reception  I  expect  for  my  proposal  to  ex- 
pand the  quarters  of  a  foundered  horse,  to  create  pressure  on 
the  sole  of  the  foot,  to  elevate,  rather  than  to  depress  the  heels, 
and  generally  to  act  diametrically  opposite  to  all  approved 
principles  of  treatment  handed  down  to  us  by  our  grandmothers. 
The  general  mode  of  affixing  the  shoe  is  the  same  as  in  con- 
traction. 

SPECIAL  POINTS  IN  SHOEING  FOR  LAMINITIS 

require,  however,  to  be  borne  in  mind :  To  guard  against  any 
further  descent  of  the  sole  than  what  has  taken  place,  rasp  the 
lower  circumferent  margin  of  the  wall,  and  prepare  the  foot  and 
the  shoe  so  that  the  weight  of  the  animal  shall  be  borne  entirely 
by  the  sole  at  its  broadest  portion. 

If  the  foot  is  large  and  flat,  a  light  bar  may  be  placed  upon 
the  shoe  across  the  broadest  part.  The  shoe  should  also  be 
broad  in  the  web,  and  the  quarters  only  should  be  expanded. 
If  the  foot  is  medium  or  small-sized,  the  bar  may  be  dispensed 
with,  but  the  shoe  should  be  relatively  broad  in  the  web,  with 
its  whole  bearing  '  right  on '  to  the  sole.  Further  descent  of 
the  sole  is  then  impossible,  and  exercise  judiciously  adapted  to 
the  animal's  capability,  will  produce  a  rapid  change  in  its  loco- 
motive powers. 

H 


106 

Moderate  elevation  of  the  heels  I  find  to  be  productive  of 
more  benefit  than  lowering  them,  as  is  the  practice  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  inventor  of  a  shoe,  denominated 

"BROAD'S  LAMINITIS  SHOE," 

well  known  in  England.  I  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  being 
that  gentleman's  chief  assistant  for  over  a  year,  and  am  there- 
fore familiar  with  his  principles  and  plans  of  treatment.  I  well 
remember  the  obloquy  sought  to  be  cast  upon  his  special  treat- 
ment by  those  who  were  not  acquainted  with  its  merits,  and  I 
anticipate  a  similar,  if  not  a  worse  reception  for  my  theory  and 
method  of  treatment  as  applicable  to  the  same  disease. 

A  POINT  OF  SOME  IMPORTANCE, 

as  relieving  pressure  from  the  part  immediately  affected  in 
laminitis,  is  to  omit  the  nails  nearest  the  toe,  one  on  each  side, 
and  with  the  knife  or  rasp  remove  a  small  portion  of  the  horn, 
at  the  toe,  extending  on  each  side  as  far  as  the  nail-holes,  so 
that  when  the  animal's  weight  is  on  the  ground,  a  knife  or  any 
similar  instrument  may  be  passed  between  the  shoe  and  the 
toe.  Every  smith  knows  what  is  meant  by  easing  the  heels. 
What  I  require  is  a  similar  easing  of  the  toe.  A  moment's  re- 
flection will  reveal  the  value  of  this  simple  expedient  when  the 
pain  is  the  anterior  region  of  the  foot.  When  the  animal  places 
his  foot  upon  the  ground,  in  such  a  case,  pressure  and  concus- 
sion at  the  toe  is  obviated,  his  weight  is  borne  by  the  broadest 
and  soundest  part  of  the  foot,  and  some  relief  from  pain  in 
progression  is  the  immediate  consequence. 

A  ROLLING  MOTION  EXPEDIENT. 

Further,  a  slight  rounding  of  the  shoe  from  heel  to  toe,  by 
giving  a  ''rolling  motion''  to  the  foot  when  in  action,  and  by 
causing  the  broadest  part  of  the  foot  to  receive  the  animal's 
weight  instead  of  the  toe  during  progression,  is  also  an  advan- 
tage in  bad  cases,  the  value  of  which  will  be  appreciated 
whenever  the  expedient  is  adopted.     Horses  given  to  stumble 


107 

under  ordinary  circumstances  are  immensely  benefited  by  giv- 
ing the  shoe  this  form.  It  is  not  a  practice,  however,  that  I 
can  recommend  for  the  trotting  horse,  intended  to  be  driven 
at  the  highest  rate  of  speed,  as  a  certain  amount  of  leverage 
power  is  necessarily  lost  by  shifting  the  point  of  contact  with 
the  ground  from  the  toe  to  the  broad  part  of  the  foot. 

I  scarcely  need  say  that  the  old  shoe  should  be  removed  and 
the  expanding  shoe  attached  with  all  the  care  possible  under 
the  circumstances,  and  the  expansion  should  be  gradual,  and 
adapted  to  the  exigencies  of  the  cases.  Thorough  poulticing 
is,  of  course,  a  prime  necessity,  to  soften  the  horn  and  to  soothe 
the  pain. 

LOCAL  BLEEDING  DESIRABLE. 

Depletion  of  the  blood-vessels  of  the  affected  foot  or  feet, 
may  be  employed  or  not.  It  is  not,  as  a  rule,  an  essential  pro- 
ceeding. I  must  say,  however,  that  I  think  recoveries  take 
place  quicker  in  extremely  acute  cases,  when  about  a  quart  of 
blood  has  been  taken  from  each  foot  before  affixing  the  expand- 
ing shoe.  This  is  one  of  the  few  cases  in  which  I  tolerate 
bleeding. 

CONSTITUTIONAL  TREATMENT. 

If  the  animal  suffers  much  constitutional  irritation,  sedatives, 
such  as  aconite,  arnica,  belladonna,  hyoscyamus,  or  opium  (see 
Appendix  of  Formulae)  may  be  administered  with  advantage ; 
and  in  extreme  cases  the  same  agents  may  be  added  to  the 
poultices,  applied  to  the  feet.  This,  however,  is  rarely  required, 
the  relief  of  pressure  given  by  the  expansion  of  the  quarters 
having  an  almost  magical  effect  in  relieving  both  the  local  and 
constitutional  symptoms  of  pain.  Judicious  exercise,  once, 
twice,  or  three  times  a  day  for  short  periods,  suitable  to^the 
exigencies  of  the  case,  as  it  promotes  the  circulation^  of  new 
blood  through  the  foot,  will  restore  a  healthy  tone  to  the  tissues 
in  a  surprisingly  short  time.  The  foregoing  is  an  outline  of 
the  treatment  I  have  found  to  be  as  far  ahead  of  Mr.  Broad's 
special  treatment,  as  that  gentleman's  is  in  advance  of  the 
ordinary  professional  routine,  implied  in  the  phrase  "antiphlo- 
gistic measures  to  the  fullest  extent."      See  Chronic  Laminitis. 


108 


CHRONIC  LAMINITIS;     CHRONIC    FOUNDER; 

PUMICED   FOOT. 

AUTHORIZED  ERRORS  COMBATED. 

There  is  no  material  difference  in  the  pathological  conditions 
implied  by  these  terms.  The  two  first  are  the  technical  and 
common  designations  for  the  same  conditions.  The  third  ex- 
presses an  external  characteristic  of  the  sole  of  the  foot  which 
in  most  cases  is  the  result  of  an  acute  attack  of  laminitis,  or  it 
may  be  produced  by  the  gradual  displacement  and  descent  of 
the  sole  and  coffin-bone  without  the  intervention  of  any  very 
active  inflammatory,  or  other  morbid  process,  whereby  the 
laminal  attachments  have  become  preternaturally  elongated, 
ewakened,  and  eventually  separated  in  the  anterior  region  of 
the  foot.  In  either  case  it  is  the  legitimate  product  of  the 
never -to-be-sufficiently-deprecated  process  of  sole-gouging,  frog- 
paring,  and  all-wall-and-no-sole-supporting  errors,  in  preparing 
and  applying  the  shoe  to  the  foot. 

SUPPORT   THE   SOLE. 

All  feet  are  liable  to  this  morbid  condition  as  long  as  these 
errors  dominate  the  practice  of  horse-shoeing,  and,  of  course, 
the  broad,  squatty  foot  of  the  heavy,  cart-breed  variety,  is  pecu- 
liarly liable  to  lameness  from  the  foregoing  causes.  I  can  not, 
however,  conceive  of  any  foot  whatever  being  liable  to  it  if  the 
sole  is  supported  upwards,  the  frog  allowed  to  press  down- 
wards and  the  quarters  kept  wide.  This  principle  applied  to 
shoeing  will  prevent  the  flattest  of  feet  from  becoming  convex 
or  bulging  at  the  sole,  whether  applied  before  or  after  the 
onslaught  of  laminitis.  The  smith  can  easily  prevent  it,  and 
the  "  doctor  "  may  readily  cure  it.  Nothing  is  easier  for  either 
if  the  true  principle  of  shoeing  is  adopted  in  one  case,  and  a 
rational  rule  of  practice  applied  in  the  other.  "  Support  the 
Sole  "  should  be  equally  the  maxim  of  the  smith  and  the  doc- 
tor. Superadded  to  this,  in  the  mind  of  the  latter  should  be. 
force  it  back  if  it  comes  down. 


109 

11  HIGH  AUTHORITY  AND  STUBBORN  FACTS." 

I  have  heard  it  stated  by  a  very  high  authority^  that  it  was 
preposterous  to  suppose  that  the  coffin-bone  could  be  re-instated 
in  its  former  position  when  rupture  of  its  laminar  attachments 
had  taken  place.  "  Once  there  is  a  disconnection  between  the 
Horny  and  sensitive  structures,  there  is  no  possibility  of  res- 
toring them  to  their  normal  healthy  condition ;  "  and  I  thought 
so  too  until  I  was  able  to  demonstrate  otherwise. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  '  highest  authorities  ;  are  not 
altogether  exempt  from  a  liability  to  error,  as  the  inconsistencies 
of  their  utterances  with  demonstrable  facts,  occasionally  prove. 
I  do  not  say  that  every  case  of  pumiced  foot  can  be  restored  to 
normal  healthy  conditions,  but  I  do  say,  that  recent  cases  of 
displacement  and  descent  of  the  coffin-bone,  even  after  the 
toe  of  the  bone  has  become  visible,  and  a  wide  fissure  exists 
between  the  bone  and  the  wall,  replacement  of  the  bone  to  its 
proper  place  is  not  only  possible,  but  easy  of  accomplishment, 
by  simply  counteracting  the  local  causes  which  produced  the 
lesion. 

A  DEMONSTRABLE  FACT. 

I  have  now  to  state  a  fact  of  practice  which  will  surprise 
many ;  and  were  it  not  a  fact  of  much  practical  importance 
and  value  in  the  treatment  of  such  cases,  I  should  prefer  to 
withhold  it,  as  I  know  it  will  be  doubted  by  some,  and  scouted 
by  others  as  a  "  coinage  of  the  brain,"  etc.  It  is  this,  that  when 
the  sole  has  descended,  and  the  toe  of  the  coffin-bone  has  pro- 
truded through  the  sole,  the  re-instatement  of  the  bone  and 
the  sole  may  be  facilitated  by  expanding  the  heels,  and  lowering 
the  frog,  even  though  the  foot  be  a  flat  one,  and  it  would 
appear  as  the  height  of  folly  to  do  so. 

THE  WHY  AND  THE  WHEREFORE. 

The  view  which  I  have  given  elsewhere  of  the  correlative 
relations  of  each  part  of  the  foot  with  its  opposite,  will  clearly 
explain  the  "why  and  the  wherefore"  of  this.  I  may  re-state 
this  view,   thus :    as  the  descent  of  the  sole  is  always  accom- 


110 

panied  by  the  ascent  of  the  frog,  the  closing  in  of  the  quarters, 
and  by  increasing  the  area  enclosed  by  the  anterior  and  antero- 
lateral parts  of  the  wall ;  so  the  requisite  means  being  taken  to 
force  the  sole  upwards,  and  to  expand  the  quarters,  the  ascent 
of  the  sole  is  followed  by  a  descent  of  the  frog,  the  widening  of 
the  quarters,  and  a  diminution  of  the  space  enclosed  by  the 
anterior  and  antero-lateral  portions  of  the  wall. 

COMMON  SENSE  SHOEING  THE  DESIDERATUM. 

Such  is  the  present  state  of  general  information  upon  the 
subject  of  shoes  and  shoeing,  and  their  relations  to  the  produc- 
tion or  prevention  of  diseases  of  the  feet  of  horses,  that  thou- 
sands of  these  "noble  quadrupeds"  are  to  be  found  in  this 
chronic  condition,  in  its  different  stages,  who  are  suffering  an 
incalculable  amount  of  misery,  which  for  the  most  part,  is  abso- 
lutely preventable  and  curable  by  one  and  the  same  means, 
namely,  a  common-sense  method  of  shoeing.  The  incurable 
are  the  old  confirmed  cases  of  pumiced  foot,  and  I  am  not  cer- 
tain that  a  large  percentage  of  these  would  not  yield  to  a 
persevering  application  of  the  principles  upon  which  the  more 
recent  cases  are  recoverable. 

HOW  TO  SHOE  THE  PUMICED  FOOT. 

The  following  are  Spooner's  directions  for  shoeing  a.  pumiced 
foot,  which  in  old  cases  I  cannot  improve : 

"  The  assistance  of  the  leather  sole  and  the  bar  shoe  is  called 
for  in  these  cases ;  the  former  for  the  purpose  of  diminishing 
concussion,  and  protecting  the  sole ;  the  latter  for  affording 
pressure  to  the  frog,  and  thus  enabling  it  to  relieve  the  crust 
by  supporting  a  portion  of  the  superincumbent  weight.  Un- 
usual care,  however,  is  necessary  in  the  application  of  the  sole, 
and  the  arrangement  of  the  tow  and  stopping  under  it,  in  order 
that  there  should  be  no  undue  pressure  at  any  particular  part. 
Equal  care,  too,  must  be  exercised  in  driving  the  nails,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  thinness  of  the  horn,  and  for  the  same  reason 
they  should  not  be  too  large,  although  it  is  necessary  that  they 


Ill 

should  be  more  numerous  than  common,  on  account  of  the 
greater  weight  of  iron  to  be  attached  to  the  foot.  If  the  shoes 
be  not  worn  out,  they  should  be  allowed  to  remain  on  longer 
than  the  usual  time." 


NAVICULAR     DISEASE. 

CAUSES  AND  SYMPTOMS. 

I  am  convinced  that  this  disease  in  its  pronounced  and  ad- 
vanced form  is  not  nearly  of  such  frequent  occurrence  as  it  is 
generally  supposed  to  be.  Its  prominent  symptom  is  progres- 
sion upon  the  fore  part  of  the  feet,  and  a  peculiar  action  that 
betrays  an  unwillingness  to .  let  the  posterior  part  come  into 
contact  with  the  ground.  This  symptom  is  the  most  easily  dis- 
tinguishable when  the  animal  is  going  up  or  down  hill.  Upon 
rising  ground  the  animal  often  goes  as  if  nothing  ails  its  feet, 
but  as  soon  as  it  travels  down-hill,  it  evinces  a  painful  condi- 
tion of  the  feet  of  a  decided  character,  and  a  tread  upon  a 
small  stone  will  cause  it  to  stumble  badly,  and  perhaps  to  fall. 
The  difference  also  between  its  progression  on  hard  or  soft 
ground  is  equally  manifest. 

As  a  rule  its  progress  and  development  is  coincident  with 
the  gradual  co-arctation  or  closing  in  of  the  upper  or  lower 
diameters  of  the  hoof,  and  especially  the  lower  or  perhaps  both 
in  some  instances,  the  causes  of  which  have  been  fully  dis- 
cussed elsewhere  in  this  work.  I  regard  its  production  by 
accident  or  a  false  step  as  of  very  exceptional  occurrence.  An 
occurrence  of  this  nature  may  cause  this  disease  in  the  hind 
foot  or  feet,  but  it  never  occurs  in  those  feet  unless  from  acci- 
dent. This  condition  is  commonly  associated  with  a  condition 
of  the  frog  that  appears  as  if  it  were  drawn  up  into  the  centre  of 
the  foot  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  ground. 

The  temperature  of  the  foot  as  a  rule  is  increased  after  exer- 
tion in  this  disease,  and,  after  standing  in  the  stable  for  a  short 
time,  after  being  at  an  elevated  temperature,  I  have  found 
such  feet  to  be  abnormally  cold.     The  blood  taken  from  the 


112 

foot  at  this  time  would  be  very  black  and  cold,  affording  evi- 
dence of  venous  congestion.  I  regard  unequal  temperature 
under  equal  conditions  as  a  very  suspicious  symptom,  if  not 
absolutely  diagnostic  of  this  disease. 

RHEUMATIC    SYMPTOMS 

and  those  of  this  disease  are  so  similar  that  one  is  mistaken 
frequently  for  the  other.  The  animal  appears  lamer  in  one 
foot  to-day  and  in  the  other  to-morrow,  and  so  on,  as  in  rheu- 
matism. That  unrelieved  pressure  of  the  hoof  upon  the  sensi- 
tive structures  within  it  should  produce  a  great  variety  of 
lesions,  sometimes  of  the  bones,  especially  the  navicular  bone, 
and  at  others  of  the  synovial  membrane ;  and  again  of  the 
flexor  tendon  by  weakening  its  attachment  to  the  coffin-bone, 
and  in  short  predisposes  all  the  sensitive  tissues  to  take  on 
specific  lesions,  varying  according  to  the  idiopathic  tendencies 
or  proximate  local  causes  I  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt. 
Cases  of  a  purely  accidental  nature  excepted,  I  cannot  imagine 
the  existence  of  navicular  disease  where  there  is  no  contraction. 
I  believe  if  all  feet  were  shod  properly  we  should  scarcely  hear 
of  a  case  in  a  few  years  and  any  hereditary  tendency  that 
might  exist  would  be  rapidly  eliminated. 

I  have  absolutely  cured  so  many  cases  of  diseased  feet  that 
had  been  pronounced  by  good  general  practitioners  to  be  the 
subjects  of  navicular  disease,  that  I  never  consider  a  case  to  be 
one  of  that  character  until  I  have  had  it  under  treatment  for 
three  or  four  weeks,  when  if  I  cannot  have  effected  a  very 
marked  improvement,  I  consider  such  a  case  to  be  one  of  ad- 
vanced and  probably  incurable  navicular  disease.  Out  of 
hundreds  of  such  cases  I  have  not  found  more  than  two  that 
I  could  so  regard.  I  am  therefore  led  to  consider  that  this 
latter  disease  is  much  more  rare  than  it  is  generally  supposed 
to  be. 

The  true  character  of  the  disease  will  soon  be  revealed  by 
the  fact  that  some  good  but  not  much  is  effected  by  softening 
and  expanding  the  foot.  This  process  will  always  ameliorate 
when  it  cannot  cure,  and  gives  the  animal  the  best  possible 


113 

chance  for  the  beneficial  application  of  further  remedial 
measures. 

;the  modus  operandi  of  treatment 

is  precisely  the  same  as  in  simple  contraction  with  which  mor- 
bid condition,  I  repeat  my  conviction,  it  will  be  found  to  be 
identical  in  a  vast  majority  of  such  cases. 


RINGBONE. 

* 

ETIOLOGY    AND    PATHOLOGY. 

The  following  presents  in  brief  outline  my  views  of  the  etiol- 
ogy and  pathology  of  this  diseased  condition.  Abnormal  con- 
traction of  the  quarters ;  the  wasted  frog  tissues ;  the  elevated 
margins  of  the  great  sole  fissure ;  the  unnaturally  upright  pas- 
tern constitute  the  sequence  of  causes  that  produce  disease  in 
the  bones  of  the  navicular  joint,  of  which  the  os  coronis  is  the 
superior  in  point  of  position.-  Like  all  other  morbid  condi- 
tions, especially  of  the  bony  structures,  there  may  be  in  some 
cases  a  constitutional  tendency  to  their  production  under  favor- 
ing local  conditions.  What  more  favoring  conditions  could 
be  imagined  for  the  production  of  Ringbone,  with  or  without 
any  congenital  tendency,  or  "Ringbotie  diathesis  "  as  it  is  tech- 
nically termed,  than  morbid  contraction  and  its  sequent 
causes  ? 

TREATMENT   OF  RINGBONE. 

When  Ringbone  is  detected  in  its  incipient  stage  its  removal 
is  easy  and  certain,  first  by  treating  the  foot  as  for  simple  con- 
traction and  by  promoting  absorption  of  the  newly  effused 
bony  matter  around  the  bone.  Acupuncturation  of  the  en- 
largement will  effect  this  in  conjunction  with  the  use  of  either 
the  bi-chloride  or  the  bin-iodide  of  mercury.  See  Preparations 
in  the  Appendix  of  Formulae. 

Any  enlargement  of  the  tissues  adjacent  to  the  superior  mar- 
gin of  the  wall  of  the  hoof  will  be  accommodated  by  the  ex- 


114 

pansion  of  the  hoof,  and  thus  lameness  will  be  obviated  if  not 
present,  and  removed  if  it  is,  since  it  is  the  enlargement  and 
pressure  of  the  internal  tissures  against  the  superior  portion  of 
the  hoof  that  mainly  causes  the  pain  upon  which  the  lameness 
is  dependent. 

I  have  treated  considerable  enlargements  in  this  region  by 
the  measures  I  have  indicated  with  the  most  satisfactory  re- 
sults. Even  the  cases  of  confirmed  and  chronic  Ringbone, 
attended  with  lameness,  may  be  so  benefitted  by  adapting  na- 
ture s  boot,  the  hoof)  to  the  foot,  that  the  lameness  can  be  got  rid 
of  where  the  enlargements  are  immovable. 


OSSIFICATION  OF  THE  LATERAL  CARTILAGES. 

ETIOLOGY   AND   PATHOLOGY. 

This  is  a  morbid  condition  of  these  cartilages  which  is  the 
direct  effect  of  preternatural  contraction  of  the  quarters.  These 
cartilages  are  appendages  to  the  wings  of  the  coffin-bone,  and 
participate  in  the  effects  of  any  lateral  pressure  which  may  be 
exerted  against  those  wings  by  the  contracting  and  contracted 
quarters.  As  already  shewn  in  the  anatomy  of  these  structures, 
they  play  an  important  part  in  the  elastic  springing  arrange- 
ments of  the  posterior  portions  of  the  foot,  and  any  interfer- 
ence with  the  due  fulfilment  of  their  functions,  will,  sooner  or 
later,  be  manifested  by  changes  in  their  structural  condition. 
Many  examples  may  be  cited  of  ossification  of  cartilage  in  the 
general  animal  economy,  which  are  mainly  attributable  to  con- 
stitutional tendency,  and  to  old  age.  Whatever  congenital 
tendency  may  exist  to  this  morbid  manifestation,  old  age  can- 
not be  alleged  as  a  pre-disposing  cause  in  horses  from  four  to 
seven  years  old,  on  whose  feet  they  are  as  frequently  seen  as 
on  old  horses. 

These  are  examples  of  a  spurious  exostosis  as  they  result  from 
the  conversion  of  cartilage  into  bone,  whereas  a  true  exostosis 
is  the  production  of  bone  from  bone.  Manipulation  with  the 
fingers    and     the    fact    of    the  predominence  of  heat  in  the 


115 

region  occupied  by  these  cartilages  will  enable  any  one  to 
detect  this  morbid  process  in  the  early  stage. 

TREATMENT  OF  OSSIFIED  LATERAL  CARTILAGES. 

Precisely  the  same  treatment  as  that  indicated  for  Ringbone 
will  remove  both  the  causes  and  the  effects,  and  render  the 
animal  perfectly  sound  again.  If  absolute  and  complete  ossi- 
fication has  ensued,  I  cannot  predicate  such  a  result,  but  the 
worst  cases  can  be  immensely  benefited  by  expanding  the 
quarters,  and  giving  plenty  of  room  for  these  hardened  tissues. 
Mercurial  applications,  too,  are  beneficial  when  the  animal  is 
not  too  old.     See  Appendix  of  Formula?  for  the  Preparations. 

CORN. 

CAUSES  AND  SYMPTOMS— THE  OLD  THEORY. 

I  used  to  believe  in  a  very  pretty  theory  concerning  the 
cause  and  seat  of  corn  until  I  knew  better.  According  to  that 
theory,  the  seat  of  corn  was  exactly  under  the  wing  of  the 
coffin-bone,  and  the  cause,  vertical  pressure  and  concussion 
produced  by  the  combined  weight  of  the  animal  and  the  freever- 
itcal  movements  of  the  coffin-bone,  hammering  and  bruising 
the  vascular  structures  coming  between  the  heel  of  the  coffin- 
bone  and  the  iron  heel  of  the  shoe.  The  elements  of  the 
theory  were  an  active  and  a  passive  agent,  and  sensitive  tissues 
suffering  between  them.  The  illustration  of  the  theory  was 
irresistable !  An  anvil,  a  hammer,  the  active  agents.  The 
iron  shoe  was  the  passive  agent,  the  anvil ;  the  coffin-bone 
represented  the  active  element,  the  hammer,  which  was  wielded 
by  the  motive  power  of  the  foot,  and  the  sensitive  structures 
the  thing  hammered  and  bruised  between  them.  It  seems  a 
pity  almost  to  spoil  such  a  theory,  but  facts  are  inexorable ; 
and  from  a  logical  conclusion  there  is  no  escape,  if  the  conclu- 
sion is  a  sound  one. 

THE    WRITER'S    THEORY. 

The  facts  are  that  the  seat  of  corn  is  close  to  the  angle  of 


116 

inflection,  and  the  position  of  the  wing  of  the  coffin-bone  con-^ 
siderably  anterior  to  it,  not  directly  over  it ;  that  the  movements 
of  the  coffin-bone  are  perfectly  natural  and  considerably  raised 
above  the  senitive  secreting  structure  of  the  sole  at  this  part, 
and  there  is  a  febro-elastic  pad  between  the  secreting  struc- 
ture and  the  bone.  Free  action  of  the  bone  implies 
healthy  action,  and  such  action  per  se  could  not  crush  tissues 
between  it  and  the  iron  shoe.  If  we  admit  that  this  action 
might  become  abnormal,  then  it  would  follow  that  the  injured 
tissues  would  be  those  coming  directly  between  the  active  and 
passive  agents,  and  such  is  not  the  case,  for  the  corn  is  devel- 
oped nearly  two  inches  away  from  the  heel  or  wing  of  the  coffin- 
bone,  at  the  spot  where  the  walls  of  the  angle  approximate  and 
unite  to  form  the  angle. 

CONTRACTION  OR  LATERAL  PRESSURE  THE  CAUSE  OF  CORN. 

It  is  not,  therefore,  vertical  pressure  which  is  the  cause  of 
corn,  but  lateral  pressure,  although  when  lateral  pressure, 
which  is  only  another  name  for  contraction,  exists,  and  the  free 
movements  of  the  bone  are  impeded,  morbid  conditions  may 
be  set  up  between  the  bone  and  the  sole  that  would  contribute 
its  quota  to  the  general  and  particular  causes  of  lameness  of 
the  animal  suffering  from  such  an  interference  with  the  free 
movements  of  his  locomotive  apparatus. 

The  lateral  pressure  theory,  however,  explains  it  all,  and  the 
effect  of  removing  lateral  pressure  knocks  the  vertical  pressure 
theory  and  Mr.  Gamgee's  no-contraction  nonsense,  both  to- 
gether, at  the  same  time,  "higher  than  a  kite." 

TREATMENT    OF  CORN. 

I  deem  it  sufficient  proof  of  the  correctness  of  the  lateral 
pressure  theory  that  if  we  reverse  the  condition  of  contraction, 
right  opposite  the  angle  of  inflection,  when  corn  is  present ; 
in  other  words,  if  we  cut  out  the  inner  side  of  the  angle,  namely, 
the  bar,  open  the  heel,  and  expand  the  quarter,  lateral  pressure 
is  removed.  Thus  the  cause  of  the  condition  termed  corn 
being   removed  the  pain  abates,  and  the  visible  evidences  of 


117 

corn  entirely  disappear  after  a  second  or  third  shoeing.  This, 
then,  is  the  rationale  of  the  cure  for  corn  whether  it  be  on  one 
or  both  sides  of  the  foot. 

CONCOMITANTS    OF    CONTRACTION. 

The  cessation  of  lameness  will  depend  upon  the  extent  to 
which  the  muscles  of  the  limb  have  become  involved  in  the 
atrophied  condition.  The  attachment  of  the  expanding  shoe 
is  the  same  as  described  in  contraction,  the  difference  being 
in  the  mode  of  preparing  the  foot.  The  objective  point  in  the 
treatment  of  corn  is  to  remove  the  angular,  and  restore  the 
rounded  form  of  the  inflection.  To  do  this  effectively  and 
promptly,  the  bar  must  be  cut  down  upon,  freely,  and  the  dis- 
colored horn  pared  away  until  it  is  not  prudent  to  proceed 
further  without  drawing  blood.  The  wall  must  be  left  flush  to 
the  shoe,  so  that  when  the  latter  is  expanded,  the  former  will  go 
with  it. 

Depending  upon  the  mildness  or  severity  of  the  affection, 
and  as  before  stated,  the  extent  of  atrophy  of  the  shoulder  and 
other  muscles  of  the  limb  will  be  the  time  necessary  for  the 
elimination  of  this  source  of  suffering  to  the  unfortunate  vic- 
tim so  many  false  theories. 

Usually  one  or  two  shoeings  are  sufficient,  but  occasionally 
an  unusually  bad  case  may  require  several  shoeings,  and  stimu- 
lant applications  to  the  shoulder,  frequently  repeated,  before 
corn  and  its  effects  can  be  completely  eradicated. 

NO  BAR-SHOES  NECESSARY  FOR  THE  CURE  OF  CORN. 

No  bar-shoe  of  any  kind  whatever  is  needed  in  this  process 
of  treatment,  and  the  animal's  services  can  be  utilized  generally 
after  the  first  few  days,  exercise  being  beneficial  to  the  repara- 
tive processes  of  the  muscular  tissues  of  the  shoulder. 

SUPPURATING   CORN. 

Sometimes  called  "Festered  Corn'  or  "  Bastard  Quittor," 
it  but  an  aggravated  result  of  the  same  general  causes  that  pro- 
duce the  Dry  Com.     The  immediate  cause  of  the  suppurating 


118 

condition  is  that  of  sand  or  gravel  getting  between  the  shoe 
and  the  sole,  just  over  the  seat  of  corn,  and  becoming  imbedded 
there,  working  its  way,  aided  by  the  weight  and  motions  of  the 
animal,  upwards,  until  it  effects  an  opening  for  itself  upon 
some  portion  of  the  heel  or  quarter,  not  unfrequently  pene- 
trating through  the  coronary  band.  It  then  takes  the  name  of 
Quittor.  A  Quittor  from  this  cause  has  been  called  a  "Bastard 
Quittor"  to  distinguish  it  from  Quittors  arising  from  other 
causes.  This  form  of  Corn  requires  in  addition  to  other  mea" 
sures,  a  free  opening  below  and  above,  but  especially  below, 
that  all  purulent  matter  may  escape  downwards. 

NOTHING  IN  THE  WORLD 

will  facilitate  the  cure  of  lesions  of  this  nature  equal  to  expan- 
sion of  the  quarters  affected.  Read  the  Article  on  Quittor  for 
directions  to  accomplish  this.  Some  extra  poulticing  may  be 
required  to  soften  and  cleanse  all  the  parts  involved.  After 
expansion,  two  or  three  days  are  generally  sufficient  for  this 
purpose.  Then  discontinue  poulticing  and  apply  a  dressing 
of  the  Compound  Tincture  of  Myrrh  and  Aloes,  or  the  Com- 
pound Tar  Ointment.     See  Appendix  of  Formulae. 

Redundant  granulations,  when  present,  may  be  repressed 
with  a  little  Chloride  of  Antimony  applied  with  a  feather. 
Occasionally,  a  leather  sole,  and  but  very  rarely,  a  bar-shoe  is 
found  necessary.  The  worst  cases  give  me  no  concern  what- 
ever, nor  will  they  any  one  else,  who  knows  the  "how  "  and  the 
"why"  of  the  process  of  direct  dilation,  as  a  remedial  measure 
in  such  cases. 


TOE-CRACK   AND    QUARTER-CRACK. 

ETIOLOGY   AND   PATHOLOGY. 

The  difference  between  these  morbid  conditions  lies  only  in 
differing  localities  from  which  they  are  named. 

The  quarter-crack  has  been  so  often  referred  to,  in  the  eluci- 
dation of  normal  and  abnormal  conditions  of  the  feet,  that  its 


119 

etiology  and  pathology  would  seem  to  require  very  little  com- 
ment. There  are  some  considerations,  however,  connected 
with  these  morbid  conditions,  that  render  a  proper  appreciation 
of  these  causes  of  much  importance  in  the  study  of  the  various 
physiological  and  pathological  questions  associated  with  the 
foot  of  the  horse. 

CONTRACTIONISTS   AND    NON-CONTRACTIONISTS. 

Simple  as  the  causes  of  these  lesions  appears  to  be,  the 
whole  veterinary  profession  is  divided  into  two  hostile  parties, 
contractionists  and  non-contractionists ;  the  latter  adducing 
the  quarter-crack,  and  some  of  the  facts  associated  with  its 
existence,  as  a  positive  and  demonstrative  proof  of  the  truth 
of  their  non-contraction  views.  The  former  for  want  of  a  missing 
link  in  the  construction  of  their  argument,  and  unable  to  ignore 
the  teachings  of  the  "  early  fathers  K  of  veterinary  science,  be- 
lieve in  the  contraction  of  the  foot,  functionally  and  otherwise, 
without  being  able  to  explode  the  fallacy  which  gives  coun- 
tenance to  the  opposite  view. 

The  non-expansion  seems  to  have  been  a  necessary  accom- 
paniment of  no-contraction  doctrine,  as  the  adoption  of  the  latter 
has  led  to  the  extravagance  of  the  former  notion. 

SOLID  PROOFS  WANTED;    NOT  FALLACIOUS  ARGUMENTS. 

The  no-contractionists  declare  contraction  as  a  morbid  con- 
dition, and  functional  contraction  and  expansion  an  "  ignis 
fatuus;"  "a  myth;'  "  a  coinage  of  the  brain  ;  "  "a  chimera;" 
"  a  phantom  of  the  imagination ;  "  and  so  forth. 

And  upon  what  ground  do  they  thus  dogmatize  upon  the 
questions  of  functional  and  phenomenal  conditions  of  the  foot, 
and  stigmatize  as  visionaries  the  ablest  writers,  upon  the  foot 
of  the  horse,  for  the  last  three  quarters  of  a  century  ?  What 
reasons  do  they  advance,  when  they  ask  us  to  reverse  conclu- 
sions that  rest  upon  the  basis  of  fact,  of  universal  observation 
and  experience?  Simply  "this  and  nothing  more"  having 
even  the  shadow  of  a  reason,  a  false  interpretation  of  the 
rationale    of  a   quarter-crack !     The    no-contractionists    draw 


120 

their  conclusions  from  false  premises  believing  them  to  be  true. 
They  have  fallen  into  the  very  common  error  of  reasoning  from 
the  particular  to  the  general  and  mistaking  exceptional  and 
abnormal  conditions  for  those  of  a  natural  and  healthy  stand- 
ard. 

Here  is  the  argument  as  they  present  it :  "  The  existence  of 
a  crack  in  the  quarter  is  the  invariable  result  of  expansion ; 
then  if  the  result  of  expansion,  it  cannot  be  caused  by  contrac- 
tion ;  therefore  there  is  no  such  thing  as  contraction."  This 
is  the  gist  of  the  so-called  argument  against  contraction  in  any 
sense  as  commo?dy  understood. 

THE  TRUE  RATIONALE  OF  QUARTER-CRACK. 

In  stating  what  I  consider  to  be  the  true  etiology  and  path- 
ology of  quarter-crack,  I  shall  be  at  the  same  time  exposing 
the  illusive  character  of  this  argument.  I  regard  the  sequence 
of  causes  as  follows : 

Weakening  the  sole  generally  has  the  effect  of  weakening  the 
lateral  support  of  the  quarters,  which  facilitates  their  wiring  in 
at  the  lower  circumferent  margin,  posterior  to  the  wings  of  the 
coffin-bone.  This  wiring  in  diminishes  the  area  of  frog-pressure 
at  the  lower  circumferent  margin,  but  increases  it  at  the  upper 
margin,  from  whence  the  quarter-crack  invariably  starts. 

This  "wiring  in,"  "falling  in,"  or  "contraction"  of  the 
quarters  at  this  part,  produces  a  gradual  approximation  and 
elevation  of  the  margins  of  the  great  sole  fissure,  and  therefore 
the  whole  of  the  frog  tissues,  sensitive  and  insensitive,  become 
correspondingly  elevated.  The  frog-tissues  thus  elevated 
creates  a  depressive  force  at  the  anterior  portion  of  the  sole, 
which  results  in  preternatural  expansion  around  the  region  of 
the  toe  and  under  certain  favoring  conditions  the  wall  at  the 
toe  splits,  and  we  have  the  condition  called  toe-crack. 

CENTRES  OF  ROTATION,  OR  MOTION. 

The  view  which  dominates  my  own  mind,  and  which  I  find 
it  more  easy  to  demonstrate  upon  the  foot  of  the  horse  than  to 
convey  either  in  written  or  spoken  language,  has  reference  to 


121 

the  correlative  movements  and  conditions  of  the  various  parts 
of  the  foot,  whether  they  be  normal  or  abnormal,  active  or 
passive. 

The  whole  body  has  a  centre  of  motion,  around  which  every 
part  of  the  entire  system  is  perpetually  playing  and  balancing 
itself.  Like  the  oscillation  of  a  weighing  beam,  the  elevation 
of  one  end  is  accompanied  by  the  depression  of  the  other.  I 
extend  this  view  to  each  limb,  and  to  each  section  of  a  limb, 
during  progressive  movements,  and  finally  I  carry  it  into  the 
comparatively  passive  conditions  and  relations  of  the  various 
parts  of  the  foot,  whether  functionally  employed  or  otherwise. 

CORRELATIVE   MOVEMENTS. 

Thus  I  regard  the  fore  and  hind,  and  the  upper  and  lower 
parts  of  the  foot,  as  having  a  counter-balancing  and  recipro- 
cating effect  upon  each  other.  Each  and  every  part  has  its 
opposite.  Whichever  part  is  elevated,  its  opposite  is  depressed  ; 
and  whichever  is  expanded,  its  opposite,  or  correlative,  is  con- 
tracted. In  one  respect,  at  least,  there  is  a  three-fold  relation 
of  this  nature  in  the  foot  of  the  horse  due  to  the  peculiarities 
of  its  structure.  For  example,  contraction  at  the  lower  margin 
of  the  posterior  quarters,  not  only  produces  expansion  at  the 
margin  of  the  quarters  where  the  quarter-crack  takes  place, 
but  causes  expansion  at  the  toe  where  toe-crack  occurs. 

Thus  the  same  cause  that  starts  a  crack  in  the  hoof,  on  its 
upper  border  posteriorly,  starts  it  on  its  lower  border  anteriorly, 
that  is  to  say,  at  the  toe. 

RATIONALE  OF  TREATMENT. 

Conversely  if  you  take  a  foot  with  a  quarter  or  toe-crack, 

and  expand  the  lower  posterior  quarters,  the  upper  posterior 

quarters  will  become  contracted  in  its  marginal  outline,  and 

the  edges  of  the  crack  will  approximate,  and  if  kept  expanded 

they  will  not  separate,  and  the  crack  will  disappear,  not  by 

the  positive  union  of  its  edges,  but  by  the  process  of  growth 

from  its  respective  secreting  organs.     This  is  equally  true  of 

I 


122 

the  crack  at  the  toe.  Judicious  mechanical  expansion  of  the 
quarters  will  close  a  toe-crack,  as  well  as  a  quarter-crack,  in 
the  most  effective  manner,  no  fissure  made  by  knife  or  firing- 
iron  being  necessary  to  prevent  the  extension  of  the  crack. 
In  this  case  "  the  cause  being  removed,  the  effect  ceases." 

A   SINE   QUA    NON. 

The  application  of  the  shoe  in  Quarter-crack  is  precisely  the 
same  as.  in  Simple  Contraction,  but  there  is  a  difference  in  the 
preparation  of  the  foot.  The  bar  and  posterior  sole  should  be 
cut  down  upon  freely,  and  the  heel,  on  whichever  side  the 
crack  exists,  should  be  opened  in  order  to  allow  the  affected 
quarter  to  open  out  well  under  the  pressure  of  the  dilator.  It 
is  also  a  sine  qua  ?ion  that  a  nail  should  be  got  in  posterior  to  the 
crack,  and  if  the  crack  extends  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of 
the  quarter,  one  nail-hole  should  be  punched  so  as  to  admit  of 
a  nail  passing  through  the  wall  transversely  to  the  line  of  the 
fracture. 

AN   EXPLODED   FALLACY. 

The  inner  quarter  is  the  most  subject  to  fracture  as  it  is 
always  the  thinnest  and  weakest  portion  of  the  whole  wall,  and 
therefore  the  first  generally  to  contract  upon  its  lower,  and  to 
yield  to  the  lateral  pressure  upon  its  upper  margin.  Some 
attribute  the  extra  liability  of  the  inner  quarter  to  fracture,  to 
the  fact  that  its  position  is  nearer  or  more  under  the  centre  of 
gravity  than  the  outer.  The  analysis  of  the  causes  I  have 
given,  leaves  this  hypothesis  out  in  the  cold.  I  have  no  use 
for  it  in  this  place.  It  has  done  duty  for  a  learned  reason  long 
enough,  and  has  been  relegated  by  me  long  since  to  the  limbo 
of  exploded  fallacies.  The  causes  can  be  fully  demonstrated, 
and  what  is  of  still  greater  consequence,  easily  removed,  with- 
out its,  to  me,  questionable  influence. 

I  have  some  respect  for  the  teachings  of  nature  in  anatom- 
ical construction,  and  for  myself  am  satisfied  that  if  nature  had 
designed  the  inner  quarter  to  sustain  more  weight  than  the  outer, 
she  would  have  made  the  inner  quarter  the  stronger  instead  of 


123 

the  weaker  of  the  two.  The  relative  strength  of  the  inner  and 
outer  quarters  have  an  obvious  relation  to  their  capacities  for 
resisting  lateral,  rather  than  those  of  sustaining  vertical  pressure. 
These  have  been  so  fully  discussed  elsewhere,  that  I  need  not 
extend  their  discussion  further  here.  I  deem  it  to  have  been 
conclusively  shown  that  contraction  is  primarily,  and  expan- 
sion secondarily  concerned  in  the  production  of  fissures  in  the 
various  parts  of  the  hoof,  and  that  those  who  assert  to  the 
contrary  are  not  yet  sufficiently  instructed  in,  or  have  not  fully 
investigated  the  economy  of  the  foot  of  the  horse. 

THE   QUARTER   BEFORE— THE   TOE    BEHIND. 

Fissures  in  the  quarters  of  the  hind  feet  are  very  rare ;  the 
toe  is  the  most  frequent  seat  of  this  lesion.  The  motive  forces 
are  chiefly  concentrated  in  the  toe  of  the  hind  foot;  conse- 
quently this  part  is  subjected  to  greater  strain  than  the  toe  of 
the  fore  foot  where  these  conditions  exist  in  a  much  less  degree, 
and  hence  the  greater  frequency  of  toe-fissures  behind  than 
before.  A  powerfully  predisposing  cause  in  all  cases  is  a  brittle 
and  unyielding  condition  of  the  horny  wall. 

THE  CAUSE— PAR  EXCELLENCE. 

The  proximate,  exciting  cause,  in  all  cases  is,  par  excellence 
a  morbid  contraction  of  the  hoof  at  points  that  obstruct  the 
functional  expansion  and  contraction  of  the  quarters,  and 
causes  a  morbid  expansion  of  parts  that  are  not  designed  to 
expand,  except  in  a  very  minor  degree. 

WHAT  TO  DO,  AND  WHAT  NOT  TO  DO. 

A  few  further  observations  may  supplement  the  treatment 
already  indicated. 

A  very  severe  crack  in  the  toe  or  quarter  may  require  a  rivet 
or  a  nail  to  keep  it  sufficiently  close  while  growing  down ;  al- 
though of  hundreds  of  such  cases,  I  have  never  met   with  but 
one  that  required  it  during  the  last  five  years. 
\ 


124 

Remove  foreign  substances  before  closing  the  fissure ;  but 
on  no  account  bevel  the  edges  of  the  fissure,  nor  introduce  the 
knife  or  cautery  into  the  fissure,  nor  make  any  internal  inci- 
sion at  the  extremity  of  the  crack,  nor  use  a  ligature  of  any 
kind ;  but  simply  approximate  the  edges  by  gradual  expansion 
of  the  quarters,  and  keep  on  a  shoe  that  you  can  expand  when- 
ever the  case  appears  to  require  it,  and  to  keep  the  crack 
closed  while  it  is  growing  down  and  out. 

Removing  the  external  exposes  the  internal  edges  to  atmos- 
pheric influences.  The  latter  are  apt  to  become  dry  and  curl 
up,  and  set  up  a  new  source  of  irritation  if  they  should  happen 
to  be  unprotected  for  a  day  or  two,  and  may  prolong  the  period 
assigned  for  the  cure  indefinitely.  The  hoof  should  be  poul- 
ticed for  a  few  days  prior  to  and  following  the  operation. 

Rapid  obliteration  of  the  crack  can  be  best  promoted  by 
keeping  the  coronary  ligament  stimulated.  (See  Hoof  Stimu 
ulants  in  the  Appendix  of  Formulae  and  the  whole  hoof  in  a 
moderately  moist  condition.)  In  a  few  weeks,  even  the  coron- 
ary ligament^  if  ruptured,  will  have  become  united,  and  a  new 
and  continuous  circle  of  horn  will  have  formed,  and  in  from 
nine  to  twelve  months,  depending  on  the  care  taken  of  the  case 
the  whole  of  the  crack  will  have  disappeared  and  an  entirely 
new  foot  of  normal  dimensions  will  have  taken  the  place  of  the 
old  one.  I  can  cure  a  majority  of  all  cases  within  a  fortnight, 
and  an  acute  professional  examiner  not  previously  aware  of  the 
existence  of  a  crack  in  the  quarter,  would  have  to  make  a  very 
close  examination  to  detect  it,  and  it  would  escape  the  notice 
a  less  acute  one  altogether. 


FALSE  QUARTER.   SHELLY  FOOT.   SEEDY  TOE. 

FALSE  QUARTER 

is  the  result  of  an  injury  to  the  coronary  ligament,  which  may 
be  caused  by  a  solution  of  continuity  of  the  ligament  as  a  conse- 
quence of  severe  Quarter-crack,  or  the  ravages  of  a  Quittor,  or 
other  severe  injury  to  the  ligament  in  that  region.     It  may  be 


125 

so  slight  as  to  present  a  mere  line  resembling  a  fissure,  or  the 
whole  quarter  may  be  an  imperfectly  formed  one  from  the  self- 
same cause,  namely,  interruption  or  suspension  of  the  process 
of  secretion,  by  which  the  fibrous  portion  of  the  wall  is  secreted. 
We  may  have,  therefore,  the  semblance  of  a  crack  without  the 
reality  of  one  ;  or  a  part,  or  the  whole  of  the  quarter  in  a  weak, 
soft,  and  almost  yielding  condition,  that  can  barely  afford  pro- 
tection to  the  laminated  structures,  and  besides,  is  ill-calculated 
to  sustain  the  strain  imposed  upon  it  by  those  structures  to 
which  it  should  give  support,  and  from  which  it  derives  what 
little  strength  or  substance  it  possesses. 

TREATMENT. 

If  but  a  mere  line  resembling  a  crack  is  present  it  is  of  little 
moment,  excepting  that  if  the  causes  and  conditions  that  pro- 
duce Quarter-crack,  are  present,  this  line  being  the  weakest 
part,  a  crack  through  this  line  is  liable  to  occur  at  any  time. 
This  may  always  be  prevented,  by  counteracting  the  causes 
and  removing  the  conditions  referred  to,  by  the  judicious  appli- 
cation of  the  Dilator,  as  this,  by  expanding  the  area  of  the  bear- 
ing surface  toward  the  ground,  prevents  the  internal  frog-tissues 
from  pressing  unduly  upon  the  lateral  cartilages  and  the  coron- 
ary band. 

If,  however,  the  secreting  properties  of  the  ligament  Have 
been  destroyed,  by  local  lesions  or  the  application  of  power- 
ful caustics,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  there  is  no  cure  for  such 
a  condition,  but  it  can  be  palliated  by  removing  the  bearing  of 
the  shoe  completely  from  the  affected  quarter  and  distributing 
it  over  every  other  part  of  the  foot. 

SHELLY   FOOT. 

is  a  condition  of  the  external  wall  of  the  foot  in  which  the  outer 
portion  appears  more  like  a  scale  or  shell,  and  doubtlessly 
results  from  an  imperfect  secretion  of  the  horny  matrix  that 
agglutinates  together  the  fibrous  constituents  of  the  wall.  That 
lack  of  healthy  development  may  be,  and  usually  is  the  result 


126 

of  but  a  slight  degree  of  abnormal  contraction  in  the  quarters, 
I  think  needs  no  labored  effort  to  prove.  Regular  nailing  is 
very  difficult  of  accomplishment  in  such  a  foot.  In  such  feet, 
the  point  of  the  nails  should  enter  the  wall  at  the  inner  edge, 
taking  a  more  oblique  direction  outwards,  and  not  be  driven 
quite  so  high  up  as  usual ;  thus  giving  them  a  short  and  firm 
grip.  When  the  expansion  of  such  feet  is  intended,  Clips  as 
directed  in  the  treatment  of  Simple  Contraction  should  be  used. 
Under  these  conditions  the  new  growth  of  the  wall,  whether 
aided  or  not  by  stimulating  liniments  to  the  coronary  secreting 
structure,  will  grow  down  sound,  healthy  and  strong,  and  the 
edge  of  the  wall  will  no  longer  chip  off  under  the  nails,  like  a 
piece  of  mahogony  veneer,  which  is  the  characteristic  of  a 
Shelly  Foot. 

SEEDY  TOE.     SPECIAL  CHARACTERISTICS. 

This  diseased  condition  of  the  foot  is  of  much  more  frequent 
occurrence  in  England  than  in  America;  I  presume  for  the 
reason  that  granite  pavements  and  macadamized  roads  are  in 
more  universal  use  in  the  former  than  the  latter  country.     It  is 
closely   allied    in  its  characteristics   to   the   condition   called 
Shelly  Foot,  yet  it  has  some  distinctive  peculiarities  about  it 
of  which  the  name  Seedy  Toe  is  the  more  expressive  designa- 
tion.    It  is  mainly  on  the  front  of  the  foot  that  it  commits  its 
ravages,  and  usually  begins  at  the  toe.      That,  like  the  general 
Shelly  condition  of  the  foot,  it  is  due  mainly  to  defective  secre- 
tion of  the  horny  matrix  which  binds  the  fibres  of  the  wall  into 
a  tough  and  compact  mass,  and  that  this  is  a  result  of  a  mor- 
bidly contracted  condition  of  the  quarters,  I  cannot  entertain 
a  doubt.     This  view  derives  support  from  the  fact  that  nearly, 
if  not,  all  toe-cracks  commence  at  the  same  spot  as  the  seedy- 
toe,  and,  therefore,  that  the  same  class  of  causes  may  produce 
the  different  effects,  accordingly  as  they  may  be  governed  by 
different  external  conditions.     Contraction  of  the  quarters  will 
produce  an  elevation  and  disuse  of  the  frog.     Disuse  of  the 
frog  throws  more  weight  upon  the  front  part  of  the  foot,  and  if 
the  horny  sole  be  weakened  as  it  usually  is,  depression  of  the 


127 

sole  must  follow,  causing  an  undue  lateral  strain  outwards  upon 
the  horny  wall  which  is  felt  most  at  the  toe ;  and  in  addition 
to  this  the  toe  is  further  weakened  by  the  nick  for  the  toe-clip 
of  the  shoe,  rendering  the  foot,  especially  at  the  toe,  peculiarly 
liable  to  concussive  influences. 

I  prefer  this  view  of  the  origin  of  these  cases  to  the  parasitic 
hypothesis,  still,  deeming  it  quite  possible  that  its  ravages  subse- 
quent to  its  disorganization  maybe  ascribed  to  parasitic  action. 
It  may  be  regarded  as  a  species  of  dry-rot  similar  to  the  dry-rot 
of  wood.  There  is  this  difference  between  Shelly-foot  and 
Seedy-toe ;  in  the  former  it  is  a  thin  external  layer  of  the  wall 
that  is  separated,  while  in  the  latter  it  is  the  inner  or  laminated 
layer  that  is  separated  from  the  body  of  the  wall. 

THE  GENERAL  TREATMENT 

should  consist  of  shoeing  the  foot  in  accordance  with  common 
sense  principles  so  as  to  promote  the  growth  of  a  sound,  healthy 
foot,  and  this  can  only  be  done  effectively  by  restoring  the  lost 
functions  to  the  heels,  the  sole  and  the  wall,  by  the  judicious 
use  of  the  Dilator.  It  is  advisable  to  explore  the  extent  of  the 
separated  portions,  to  remove  the  debris,  and  arrest  any  further 
extension  of  the  separation  by  injections  of  oil  of  tar,  turpen- 
tine or  carbolic  acid.  Measures  of  absolute  cure  must  look  to 
the  displacement  of  the  old  conditions  by  the  substitution  of 
new  and  better  ones,  and  the  production  of  new  and  normally 
fashioned  feet.  Stimulating  applications  to  the  coronet  and 
keeping  the  hoof  under  the  conditions  of  moisture  and  exercise, 
will  promote  this  end  in  the  shortest  period  of  time  that  is  pos- 
sible. A  run  at  grass  or  the  freedom  of  a  loose  box  is  almost 
essential  in  such  cases. 


128 


GREASE    (SCRATCHES);    CHAPPED    HEELS;     CAN- 

*     KER;    THRUSH. 

The 

ETIOLOGY  AND  PATHOLOGY 

of  all  these  diseased  conditions  are  substantially  of  the  same 
nature.  They  are  diseases  of  the  various  secreting  structures 
of  the  foot,  or  of  its  immediate  connections.  The  fetid  fluid 
emanations  from  these  structures,  are  the  perverted  and  vitiated 
secretions,  which  under  healthy  conditions  were  requisite  for  the 
fulfillment  of  certain  appropriate  functions,  in  providing  for 
the  wear  and  tear  of  the  horny  tissues  in  the  latter  cases,  and 
of  keeping  the  skin  of  the  heels  supple  and  soft  in  the  former 
case. 

FATTY    FOLLICLES   AND  THEIR   FUNCTIONS. 

It  may  not  be  known  to  every  one  of  my  readers  that  the 
entire  skin  of  the  animal  is  kept  in  a  supple  condition  by  an 
oily  secretion  which  is  formed  within  the  skin,  through  the 
means  of  the  sebaceous  glands,  or  fatty  follicles,  and  that  those 
parts  where  there  is  the  greatest  amount  of  motion  in  conse- 
quence of  their  contiguity  to  joints,  and  therefore,  liability  to 
stretch,  the  skin  is  thinnest,  and  the  fatty  follicles  are  clustered 
together  in  the  greatest  number.  In  no  part  of  the  body  are 
these  follicles  exposed  more  to  deleterious  influences  than  at 
the  heels.  Here  they  are  more  exposed  to  wet  and  cold,  and 
the  effects  of  accumulations  of  mud,  and  neglect ;  and  remote- 
ness frorn  the  centre  of  circulation,  than  at  any  other  part  of 
the  system,  and  here  the  motions  of  the  foot  and  their  imme- 
diate contact  with  horn-structure  require  that  they  should  be 
kept  in  the  highest  state  of  efficiency. 

CROWDING   AND  DWARFING  THE  TISSUES. 

That  the  mildness  or  malignancy  of  the  diseases  depend 
much  upon  local  and  constitutional  causes,  the  result  of  neglect 
and  bad  stable  management,  cannot  be  questioned. 


129 

That  the  chief  cause,  both  predisposing  and  exciting,  is  to  be 
attributed  to  a  morbid  contraction  of  the  foot,  acting  mainly 
upon  the  posterior  part,  I  think,  is  equally  unquestionable. 

Persistent  undue  contraction  of  the  quarters  not  only  crowds 
the  secreting  structures  of  the  horny  sole  and  frog,  but  involves 
the  sub-cutaneous  tissues  adjacent  to  the  heels  in  the  general 
crush. 

Crowding  of  the  secreting  structures  of  the  foot  is  no  more 
conducive  to  healthy  exercise  of  function  and  healthy  nutrition 
than  crowding  in  other  spheres  of  observation,  such  as  trees  in 
a  garden,  or  plants  in  a  bed.  The  Chinese  custom  of  encasing 
the  feet  of  their  female  children  in  shoes  of  iron,  has  the  same 
effect-  in  kind  upon  the  human  foot  as  the  hardened  hoof  and 
its  iron  appendage  has  upon  the  foot  of  the  horse. 

DIFFICULT  TO   MISUNDERSTAND. 

I  should  think  the  etiology  and  pathology  of  these  affections 
difficult  to  ////^understand,  but  lest  they  should  not  be,  I  will 
glance  at  the  chain  of  causes  which  connects  faulty  shoeing 
with  Grease,  Canker  and  Thrush  ;  weakening  the  sole  gener- 
ally, and  opening  the  heels  leads  to  the  falling  of  the  first 
anteriorly,  and  the  closing  in  of  the  quarters  posteriorly.  The 
two  most  important  functions  of  the  foot  at  first  are  partially, 
and  eventually,  totally  suspended  by  the  injudicious  use  of  the 
paring-knife  alone.  Those  usually  removed  portions  should 
be  the  solid  points  of  resistance  for  the  spring  of  the  sole  within 
the  foot,  and  the  expansion  of  the  quarters  when  the  weight  of 
the  animal  descends  during  motion. 

THE   MACHINERY   IS   OUT  OF  GEAR. 

The  abnormal  pressure  created  by  the  altered  structure  and 
functions  of  the  horny  tissues,  produces  vascular  excitement 
and  inflammation  of  the  tissues  subjected  to  the  pressure,  which 
communicates  itself  by  sympathy  with,  and  to,  adjacent  and 
subjacent  tissues.  All  the  secreting  structures  in,  and 
around  the  foot,  are  affected  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  de- 


130 

pending  on  various  constitutional  and  other  local  causes.  The 
stomach,  lungs,  brain  and  feet  are  known  to  have  an  intimate 
connection  with  each  other  in  certain  pathological  conditions ; 
and  bad  stable-management  is  known  to  have  a  powerful  in- 
fluence in  producing  a  bad  state  of  things  about  both  feet  and 
heels.  I  repeat  then,  the  fetid  emanations  of  Grease  or 
Scratches,  are  the  perverted  and  vitiated  secretions  of  the  Seba- 
ceous follicles  around  the  heels;  those  of  Thrush,  of  the  secre- 
ting vessels  of  the  Frog,  and  those  of  Canker  of  the  secretories 
of  the  sole. 

BAD  ENOUGH  AT  THAT. 

There  is  an  important  difference  between  Thrush  and  Can- 
ker. The  vitiated  secretions  of  the  former  have  a  chance  of 
escape  through  the  central  frog-fissure,  while  those  of  the  latter 
have  no  way  of  escape  whatever.  They  therefore  remain,  and 
by  their  eminently  corrosive  action  destroy  the  connection 
between  the  sensitive  and  insensitive  soles,  extending  by  de- 
grees all  over  the  sole.  Occasionally  the  laminated  structures 
become  involved"  in  the  cancerous  onslaught,  when  it  becomes  a 
very  serious  affair,  but  when  it  is  confined  to  the  sole,  it  is  bad 
e?iough  at  that. 

TREATMENT   OF  GREASE   OR  SCRATCHES. 

Dilation  is  nine-tenths  of  the  cure.  Mild  measures  may  do 
for  mild  cases,  conjoined  with  better  stable  management.  In 
the  Appendix  will  be  found  several  formulae  that  in  such  cases 
are  used  with  good  effect.  Where,  however,  there  is  pain,  in- 
flammation, swelling,  and  lameness  as  there  frequently  is,  and 
possibly  a  deep  crack  or  fissure  in  the  bend  or  cup  of  the  heels, 
softening  the  feet  with  poultices  and  expanding  the  quarters 
constitutes  nine-tenths  of  the  cure,  The  pressure  of  the  quar- 
ters removed,  the  inflammation  subsides ;  the  tissues  resume 
their  normal  size,  and  having  "  room  and  verge  enough,"  the 
parts  quickly  resume  their  healthy  functions,  lameness  dis- 
appears and  "  all  serene  "  is  the  word  once  more.  The  Appen- 
dix will  furnish  medicinal  agents  that  will  quickly  heal  any 
broken  surface  of  the  skin. 


131 


TREATMENT   OF    THRUSH. 


Before  I  understood  the  importance  of  judicious  Dilation,  I 
have  seen  bad  cases  of  Thrush  that  were  deemed  incurable 
and  have  known  them  to  be  destroyed  on  that  account.  Since 
that  time  I  have  found  every  case  of  Thrush,  however  bad,  that 
I  have  met  with,  susceptible  of  an  early  and  absolute  cure  by 
that  process  alone,  conjoined,  of  course,  with  poulticing.  Dila- 
lating  the  quarters  will  widen  the  space  wherein  the  frog  should 
find  an  easy  and  roomy  bed.  Give  a  wasted  or  thrushy  frog 
room  to  develop  itself  and  it  will  soon  do  so,  and  a  plump 
healthy-looking  frog  will  soon  be  seen  taking  the  place  of  the 
puny,  puckered  up,  putrid  pest  of  the  past. 

I  cannot  imagine  an  incurable  case  of  Thrush  if  I  have  but 
the  means  of  softening  and  expanding  the  foot  which  is  the 
subject  of  it.  Those  who  wish  to  employ  medicable  measures 
will  find  the  best  known,  in  the  Appendix. 

The  Dilator  and  the  poultice  I  regard  as  the  radical  remedy 
for  the  present,  and  the  positive  preventive  for  the  future. 

THE   ALL-IMPORTANT  ADJUNCT. 

A  discharge  from  the  cleft  of  the  frog  is  not  always  a  result 
of  Thrush.  An  accidental  puncture  or  wound  in  that  region, 
from  some  other  cause  may  be  the  origin  of  it.  But  whatever 
may  be  the  nature  of  the  injury,  there  is  no  more  useful  adjunct 
to  be  found  in  the  removal  of  all  diseased  conditions  of  the 
foot,  than  careful  and  circumspect  dilation  of  the  quarters. 

TREATMENT  OF  CANKER  OR  FOOT  ROT. 

SOME   CURES   CONTRARY  TO  ALL  EXPECTATION. 

Canker,  for  reasons  already  stated,  is  not  so  readily  disposed 
of  as  Thrush,  especially  in  its  worst  forms  and  advanced  stages. 
Yet  I  have  cured  some  cases  that  were  so  badly  cankered  that 
I  feared  the  whole  foot  would  become  detached,  from  the  al- 
most universal  presence  of  the  "  leprous  distillment," — the  can- 


132 

cerous  emanations.  My  first  object  is  to  arrest  the  progress  of 
decomposition,  and,  therefore,  of  separation  of  the  laminal 
attachments,  and  of  the  connections  of  the  horny  and  sensitive 
soles.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  it  is  always  difficult  to 
get  antiseptic  agents  to  act  in  a  direct  manner  upon  the  decom- 
posing tissues  within  the  foot. 

In  this  case  it  is  necessary  to  pare  down  the  sole  pretty  free- 
ly, to  make  two,  three,  or  more  small  orifices  for  the  entrance 
of  the  antiseptic  agents  and  the  evacuation  of  the  imprisoned 
products  of  decomposition. 

The  quarters  should  be  expanded  slightly,  even  where  separ- 
ation has  taken  place,  for  the  same  reasons  that  apply  to  the 
sole.  The  foot  should  be  saturated  with  antiseptics  as  early 
as  possible,  as  decomposition  must  be  arrested  before  re-organ- 
ization of  the  tissues  can  take  place.  The  best  antiseptic 
stimulants  I  have  found  to  be  that  of  bi-chloride  of  mercury 
found  in  the  appendix. 

This  and  a  charcoal  poultice,  will  remove  all  fcetor  from  the 
foot,  and  promote  a  healthy  healing  action  in  the  affected  parts 
After  a  few  days  of  this  treatment,  pressure — genial  pressure — 
must  be  procured  upon  the  sole  by  the  animals  own  weight 
and  the  judicious  packing  of  the  sole  with  cotton-batting,  satu- 
rated with  stimulant  dressings.     (See  Appendix.) 

After  a  week  the  shoe  should  be  re-set,  redundancies  of  horn 
removed,  a  new  diagnosis  instituted,  and  measures  taken  accor- 
dingly upon  the  same  general  principles  I  have  laid  down. 
Usually  a  strong  leather  sole  made  of  boot-makers  sole  leather 
and  packing,  and  drawing  on  the  shoe  somewhat  tightly,  to 
create  pressure  all  over  the  sole  will  be  necessary  to  promote 
the  cure.  Usually  a  newly  formed  hoof  will  displace  the  old 
shell,  and  then  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  and  judicious  shoe- 
ing when  the  "  old  shall  have  passed  away  and  all  shall  have 
become  new." 


133 


ATROPHY  OF  THE  FOOT.   DRY-ROT. 

CONTRACTION  BOTH  CAUSE  AND  CONSEQUENCE. 

This  is  a  condition  of  the  foot  of  the  horse  occasionally  met 
with.  The  atrophied  foot  is  usually  perceptibly  smaller  than 
the  comparatively  sound  one.  Such  a  foot  is  a  "  miserable 
apology  "  for  a  foot,  and  is  commonly  accompanied  by  an  atro- 
phy of  all  the  pectoral,  shoulder,  and  brachial  muscles,  in  con- 
nection with  the  atrophied  foot.  Contraction  is  both  a  cause 
and  consequence  of  this  state  of  things.  Each  has  reacted  in 
the  production  of  the  other.  It  is  not  by  any  means  an  incur- 
able condition.  The  same  general  principles  as  are  applied  to 
contraction  will  remove  atrophy  of  the  foot  when  there  is  no 
bar  in  the  absolute  disorganization  of  the  foot-tissues. 

Giving  the  tissues  room  to  expand  and  grow  will  restore  the 
lost  functions  of  nutrition  if  any  thing  will.  If  expansion  of 
the  foot  will  not  effect  this,  nothing  will.  No  treatment  will 
avail  the  muscles  that  move  the  leg  if  the  foot  is  disordered. 
Get  the  foot  well,  and  developement  of  the  muscular  tissues 
named  will  follow.  It  may,  however,  require  months  of  judi- 
cious exercise,  and  external  stimulation,  to  restore  them  to  their 
normal  capacity  and  action. 


ACCIDENTAL  INJURIES  TO  THE  CORONARY   LIG- 
AMENT FROM  TREADS,  BRUISES,  CALKS, 

AND  QUITTORS 

are  most  frequent  in  the  winter  when  the  necessity  exists  for 
Sharp  Calks  to  the  shoes.  They  sometimes  end  favorably,  and 
at  others  become  the  most  intractable  of  injuries,  leading  to 
the  destruction  of  the  animal.  Pain,  lameness,  and  irritative 
fever,  are  the  usual  accompaniments  of  these  ailments. 


134 


A   CALK  UPON  THE  INSTEP 

I  have  found  the  most  troublesome  to  treat,  from  the  circum- 
stance that  the  tendon  of  the  extensor  pedis  passes  over  that 
part  and  is  often  lacerated  just  where  it  is  inserted  into  the 
superior  process  of  the  os  pedis.  In  such  cases  the  bone  fre- 
quently gets  involved  with  the  tendon,  Caries  supervenes,  and 
separation  of  the  tendon  from  the  bone  would  necessarily  fol- 
low. Such  cases  may  then  be  considered  incurable.  When 
they  occur  near  the  quarters  they  are  less  dangerous,  but  they 
sometimes  take  on  the 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   QUITTOR. 

The  suppurative  matter  that  forms  in  these  tissues  is  of  a 
very  acrid  nature,  and  it  eats  its  way,  when  it  has  no  way  of 
escape,  forming  burrows  or  sinuses  in  various  directions,  not  un- 
frequently  causing  a  detachment  of  the  hoof  from  its  connec- 
tions with  the  sensitive  tissues. 


A  REMARKAELE  RESEMBLANCE. 

I  have  known  a  mere  tread,  giving  no  external  evidence  of 
injury  to  the  feet  beyond  the  gait  and  manner  of  moving  its 
leg,  almost  peculiar  to  an  injury  in  this  particular  spot.  I  say 
almost,  because  the  movement  very  closely  resembles  that  of  a 
horse  with  Stringhalt.  It  is  raised  from  the  ground  much 
higher  than  usual,  and  is  placed  upon  it  again  with  as  little 
flexion  of  the  foot  as  possible.  Such  cases  as  these  are  com- 
monly neglected  until  too  late  to  effect  a  cure.  The  intention, 
in  all  cases  of  this  nature,  should  be  to  prevent  or  arrest  sup- 
puration. 

The  chances  of  safety  for  the  animal  depend  upon  the  ful- 
fillment of  this  condition.  The  most  powerful  antiseptics  are 
indicated  in  the  advanced  stages.  The  less  powerful  may  be 
sufficient  in  the  earlier  stages. 


135 


THE   MOST   POWERFUL  ADJUNCT   OF   ALL 

where  any  inflammation  of  the  tissues  has  taken  place,  and 
lameness  is  produced,  is  the  use  of  the  Dilator.  Soften  by 
poulticing,  and  expand  the  foot  as  early  as  possible,  and  the 
congestion  and  inflammation  which  is  aggravated  by  the  un- 
yielding nature  of  the  horny  wall,  will  receive  no  aggravation 
from,  that  cause;  there  will  be  room  for  the  temporary  enlarge- 
ment of  the  softer  tissues,  and  the  work  of  reparation  will  go 
on  uninterruptedly.  The  practitioner  who  becomes  acquainted 
with  the  process  of  expansion  of  the  foot  will  experience  com- 
paratively little  difficulty  in  the  treatment  of  any  of  these 
diseases  that  admit  of  a  cure. 

The  shoe  used  for  expanding  should  have  heel-calks  pro- 
portionately high  to  the  requirements  of  the  case,  in  order  to 
give  relaxation  and  rest  to  the  tendons  and  ligaments  of  the 
leg.  The  lesser  injuries  of  this  kind  yield  readily  to  the  appli- 
cation of  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  carbolic-acid  and  glycer- 
ine. Cases  of  a  somewhat  severe  nature  may  require  the  appli- 
cation of  a  softening  poultice  to  the  affected  part,  until  the 
inflammation  has  subsided,  and  subsequent  healing,  by  healing 
unguents.  I  particularly  caution  against  the  common  practice 
of  rasping  the  quarters  thin,  and  cutting  down,  or  lowering  the 
wall  at  the  quarters.     These  are  often  fatal  measures. 

Get  on  a  shoe  and  expand  the  quarters.  The  results 
will  suprise  you  by  its  rapidly  beneficial  action. 

TETANUS  — LOCK-JAW. 

ETIOLOGY  AND   PATHOLOGY. 

From  "  Druitt's  Surgery  "  I  have  derived  the  texts  for  a  series 
of  observations  regarding  the  influence  of  pressure  and  other 
causes,  upon  nerves,  and  nerve-force,  which  may  prove  servic- 
able  in  our  endeavor  to  elucidate  the  etiology  and  pathology 
of  the  diseases  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  an  organ  pre-eminently 
exposed,  and  susceptible,  to  influences  of  this  nature. 


136 

"  Tetanus  may  originate  in  some  disorder  of  the  blood,  or 
nerves,  without  a  wound,  when  it  is  called  idiopathic.  That 
which  is  caused  by  a  wound  is  traumatic."  As  the  foot  of  the 
horse  is  so  frequently  the  subject  of  the  traumatic  variety  of 
tetanus,  and  is  especially  exposed,  and  susceptible,  to  disorders 
of  the  blood,  and  nerves,  from  pressure  of  its  horny  envelope- 
ment,  may  we  not,  more  frequently,  regard  the  blood  and 
nerve  disorders  of  this  organ  as  the  source  at  least  of  some  of 
the  idiopathic  forms  of  this  disease  met  with  in  veterinary 
practice  ?  And  further,  may  we  not,  with  possibly  good  results 
in  all  cases  of  supposed  idiopathic  tetanus,  proceed  to  treat 
the  feet  in  the  same  manner  that  I  shall  recommend  for  adop- 
tion in  all  cases  where  traumatic  tetanus  is  distinctly  traceable 
to  a  wound  of  the  foot  ? 

"Tetanus  may  be  caused  by  wounds  and  external  injuries 
of  every  description,  but  especially  by  lacerated  and  punctured 
wounds  of  the  hands  and  feet ;  wounds  irritated  by  foreign 
matters,  or  in  which  nerves  are  exposed. 

11  It  is  probable,  however,  that  in  most  instances  some  con- 
current or  predisposing  cause,  in  addition  to  an  external  injury, 
is  required  to  produce  tetanus.  Of  such  causes,  the  best  estab- 
lished are,  first,  an  irritable  state  of  the  gastro-intestinal 
mucous  membrane  ;  and  second,  exposure  to  cold,  damp,  night- 
air,  especially  during  warm  weather. 

"  The  same  causes,  cold  and  visceral  irritation,  which  pre- 
disposes to  the  traumatic,  may  of  themselves  produce  the  idio- 
pathic tetanus." 

MYSTERIOUS  INTERTRANSMUTATIONS  OF  DISEASE. 

If  the  veterinary  pathologist  will  here  recall  the  doctrines 
and  facts  relating  to  the  sympathy  that  exists  between  the  skin, 
the  mucous  membranes  of  the  lungs,  and  the  abdominal  vis- 
cera, and  then  add  those  of  the  feet  to  this  list  of  sympathetic 
tissues,  he  will  not  find  it  difficult  to  perceive  the  feasibility  of 
the  view  I  have  entertained  for  some  time,  namely,  that  in  cer- 
tain conditions  of  the  nerve  structures,  and  forces,  of  the  foot 


137 

of  the  horse,  induced  mainly  by  external  causes,  the  principal 
of  which  is  undue  pressure  exerted  by  its  horny  investment, 
there  exists  a  predisposing  cause  to  visceral  irritation,  both 
thoracic  and  abdominal,  and  thence  to  the  skin, — or  the  order 
of  causation  may  commence  with  the  skin  or  either  of  the 
visceral  structures,  and  end  in  the  feet  through  the  medium  of 
the  excito-motory  or  the  sympathetic  system  of  nerves,  or,  per- 
haps, both  conjoined  ;  and  that  thus,  those  mysterious  inter- 
transmutations  of  disease,  termed  metastasis,  may  in  some 
rational  manner  be  accounted  for. 


THE   FACTS   OF  PATHOLOGY 

indicate  an  intimate  connection  between  the  external  skin  and 
the  internal  mucous  membranes.  Cold  in  the  former  produces 
functional  derangement  in  the  latter,  and  vice  versa.  Func- 
tional derangements  of  the  latter  will  produce  manifestations  of 
disorder  in  the  former.  The  removal  of  the  cause  or  causes 
in  one,  will  induce  a  cessation  of  the  effects  in  the  other. 

Let  it  also  be  remembered  that  the  foot  is  made  up  of  the 
same  materials  as  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  skin  and 
we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  conceiving  of  the  sensitive  struc- 
tures of  the  foot, — its  secreting  papillae,  and  its  whole  nervous 
organization,  as  involved  in  the  general  mutual  sympathy 
that  exists  between  the  external  skin  and  all  internal  mucous 
membranes. 

CONCURRENT   OR  PREDISPOSING    CAUSES. 

Moreover,  the  legs,  and  especially  the  feet  of  horses,  being 

the  furthest  situated  from  the  nerve  and  circulating  centers — 

those  parts,  and  particularly  the  feet — are   more   exposed  and 

liable  to  the  effects  of  a  cold  and  humid  atmosphere  than  other 

parts  nearer  the  centers  of  circulation  and   of  nerve  force. 

Add  to  these  considerations  the  fact  that  the  iron  appendage 

to  the  horse's  foot  is  a  rapid  conductor  of  heat,  and  that  in 

very  numerous  instances  horses   have    to  stand    upon  a  cold, 

k 


138 

stone  pavement,  which  circumstance,  in  conjunction  with  a 
thin  weak  sole,  and  probably  an  acclivity  of  the  floor  of  the 
stall  to  stand  against  rather  than  upon,  more  fatiguing  in  its 
effects  than  a  moderate  amount  of  ordinary  labor,  and  I  think 
we  have  reasons,  many  and  sufficient,  for  regarding  a  disordered 
condition  of  the  blood  and  nerves  of  the  feet  as  a  frequent 
source  of  visceral  irritation  and  per  consequence,  of  many 
cases  of  idiopathic  tetanus. 

With  such  "concurrent  or  predisposing  causes  "  in  almost 
perpetual  existence  to  diseases  of  the  nervous  system,  and  to 
'maladies  of  the  visceral  organs, — and  the  tegumentary  system 
together  with  their  sympathetic  relations,  is  it  any  wonder  that 
cases  of  idiopathic  tetanus  should  arise  out  of  these  morbid 
conditions,  without  the  stimulus  of  an  external  injury,  or  that 
traumatic  tetanus  should  be  so  frequently  the  sequela  of  a 
puncture  in  the  foot  ? 

Since  the  adoption  of  this  practice  I  have  never  known  a 
case  of  tetanus  to  supervene  upon  an  injury  of  this  nature 
when  I  have  had  charge  of  the  treatment  from  the  beginning. 
Several  cases  of  tetanus  that  have  been  placed  under  my 
charge,  in  mules  and  horses,  after  the  teta?iic  spasms  have  set  in, 
and  known  to  have  had  a  recent  wound  in  the  foot — have  come 
out  right,  but  I  attribute  this  result  to  the  process  of  cutting 
down  upon  the  wound,  applying  narcotic  poultices  and  above 
all  to  the  free  use  of  the  dilator,  rather  than  to  any  constitu- 
tional measure  of  treatment. 


AN  INVALUABLE  ADJUNCTIVE  MEASURE. 

If  general  facts  accord  with  my  own  experience,  punctured 
wounds  of  the  foot  are  the  most  frequent  source  of  tetanus. 
Before  I  practiced  dilation  of  the  foot  I  have  known  some 
cases  to  terminate  unfavorably  under  ordinary  treatment,  and 
some  to  take  a  considerable  period  to  get  well — and  an  occa- 
sional one  eventuated  in  tetanus,  from  which  I  never  knew  one 
to  recover. 


139 

•  Since  practising  dilation  my  estimate  of  the  value  of  this 
process  of  treatment  as  an  adjunctive  measure  in  all  cases  of 
wounds  and  injuries  to  the  feet,  even  in  cases  where  tetanic 
symptoms  were  fully  manifested,  may  be  learned  from  the  fol- 
lowing statement : 

In  all  cases  of  injury  to  the  feet  placed  in  my  charge  for 
treatment,  I  soften  and  dilate  the  quarters,  more  or  less, 
according  to  circumstances  and  the  nature  of  the  case.  I 
practice  this  general  measure  upon  the  principle  that,  in  any 
case,  it  can  do  no  harm,  and  in  some  cases  it  may  prevent 
tetanus — the  constant  dread  of  the  veterinary  practitioner — 
from  supervening.  Its  direct  benefits,  in  the  majority  of  cases, 
however,  are  so  plainly  manifest  in  facilitating  the  healing  pro- 
cesses— in  conjunction  with  purely  medicative  measures  of 
treatment,  that  I  have  but  little  or  no  confidence  in  any  plan 
of  treatment  without  it. 


STRINGHALT. 

A  MYSTERIOUS   MALADY. 

I  propose  to  record  some  observations  which  I  have  made 
in  the  course  of  my  experience  upon  a  somewhat  barren  topic. 
This  subject  has  engaged  the  pens  and  baffled  the  acumen  of 
such  pathological  investigators  as  Professors  Spooner  and  Sewell, 
and  Percival,  Blaine,  Youatt,  Goodwin,  and  Busteed,  of  New 
York,  besides  some  other  of  lesser  note. 

I  do  not  suppose  that  the  small  item  of  observation  which  I 
wish  to  record  will  amount  to  anything  more  than  a  suggestion, 
or  clue,  which  others  as  well  as  myself  may  follow  out  who  may 
have  opportunities  for  experiment  and  observation.  The  pau- 
city of  the  information  we  possess  as  to  the  true  origin  and 
seat  of  this  malady  and  its  supposed  absolute  remediless  char- 
acter, may  sufficiently  excuse  the  smallness  of  the  donation. 

Writes  Professor  Varnell,  "  There  is  a  mystery  about  the  mal- 
ady, which,  for  the  present,  is  darkened  over  with  a  heavy  mist, 
that  requires  considerable  research  to  clear  away."      During 


140 

my  noviciate  at  the  Royal  Veterinary  College,  it  was  my  priv- 
ilege to  witness  numerous  dissections  of  Stringhalt  subjects, 
and  presumably  to  learn  all  that  was  then  known  upon  the 
etiology  and  pathology  of  that  disease. 

NOTES  AND   QUERIES. 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  some  of  the  notes  which  I 
took  of  the  lectures  by  Professor  Spooner  upon  this  subject. 
They  may  prove  interesting  to  the  student  of  hippedo  pathology. 
There  is  a  vital  contractile  force  in  involuntary  muscles  which 
is  entirely  independent  of,  and  distinct  from  the  force  which  is 
subservient  to  the  influence  of  the  will.  Mechanical  pressure 
alone  would  produce  pain.  Stringhalt  as  a  rule  only  affects 
the  hind  extremities,  although  Professor  Spooner  has  seen  an 
instance  of  a  peculiar  jerking  action  of  one  fore-leg,  which  he 
considered  to  be  a  true  case  of  Stringhalt. 

PECULIAR  MECHANISM   OF  THE   HOCK-JOINT. 

The  mechanical  construction  of  the  astragalo-tibial  articula- 
tion, the  principal  articulation  of  the  hock  joint,  explains  in 
some  measure  the  jerking  action  peculiar  to,  and  diagnostic  of, 
this  disease.  One  effect  of  the  peculiarity  of  this  construction 
may  be  observed  when  a  horse  lies  down.  The  hock  joints  are 
flexed  to  a  certain  extent,  and  then  the  animal  falls  down  sud- 
denly. He  cannot,  if  he  would,  let  himself  down  gradually, 
and  his  rising  from  the  ground  is  always  with  a  sudden  spring- 
ing movement,  or  jerk.  This  peculiar  mechanical  contrivance 
can  be  equally  well  observed  in  the  dead  subject,  by  dissecting 
away  everything  but  the  lateral  ligaments  of  the  joint  which 
hold  the  articulatory  surfaces  of  the  joint  in  close  apposition. 
The  joint  movements  being  effected  by  the  hands,  they  will  be 
found  to  move  in  one  direction  with  a.jerk  and  snap  movement. 
The  mere  mechanism  of  the  movement  is  therefore  readily  un- 
derstood in  this  manner.  From  this  mechanical  peculiarity  it 
is  deduced   that  the  power  or  force  that  acts,  as  the  natural 


141 

balance  or  controling  force  in  natural  and  healthy  action,  is 
more  or  less  overcome  or  destroyed  altogether  in  a  condition  of 
disease,  and  this  apparently  spasmodic  action  becomes  invol- 
untary and  permanent.  It  is  thence  inferred,  that  this  control- 
ing force  has  its  origin  in  the  substance  of  the  muscles  that 
antagonize  the  muscles  that  lift  and  extend  the  foot.  These 
are  the  gastrocnemii  muscles  whose  powerful  tendon  passes 
over  the  point  of  the  hock. 

Thence,  it  is  inferred  that  weakness  or  partial  paralysis  of 
these  latter  muscles,  or  any  portion  of  them,  would  allow  of 
that  jerking  action  of  the  joint  to  go  partially  or  wholly  unan- 
tagonized,  or  unregulated.  The  peculiar  jerk  which  indicates 
Stringhalt  is  involuntary  in  its  character,  and  there  is  no  evi- 
dence of  pain  to  the  animal  or  uneasy  motion  to  the  rider.  It 
is  not  a  lameness  therefore  which  is  a  consequence  of  pain. 
Professor  Spooner  has  known  cases  in  which  after  a  severe  run 
with  the  hounds,  the  symptoms  have  been  more  severe  for  a 
time.  In  most  cases  Stringhalt  comes  on  gradually,  but  it  does 
sometimes  make  its  appearance  suddenly. 

DOES   STRINGHALT  CONSTITUTE   UNSOUNDNESS  ? 

Undoubtedly,  it  is  a  disease,  and  therefore  unsoundness.  Is  it 
due  to  an  exalted  action  of  nerve  force,  or  to  the  opposite  con- 
dition ?  In  other  words,  is  it  due  to  spasm  or  paralysis  ?  Mr. 
Spooner  at  one  time  believed  it  to  be  due  to  the  former  cause, 
but  he  now  ascribes  it  to  the  latter. 

PROFESSOR  SPOONER'S   HYPOTHESIS. 

The  following  is  the  hypothesis  upon  which  his  later  view  is 
based.  Muscular  tissues  possess  a  capacity  for  storing  nerve- 
force.  During  rest  these  tissues  accumulate  this  force  which 
forms  a  reserve  supply  for  extraordinary  occasions  of  speed, 
etc.  That  muscular  tissues  are  not  immediately  deprived  of 
the  power  to  act,  even  when  the  main  supply  is  as  it  were  cut 
off.  This  is  considered  proved  by  the  muscular  contractions 
which   are  observable  after  death,   and  also  by  the  muscular 


142 

movements  which  can  be  excited  by  galvanism  soon  after  death. 
That  it  is  a  nerve-affection  is  admitted  by  all  writers  on  the 
subject,  but  what  part  of  the  nervous  system  is  the  precise  locale 
of  the  disease  is  a  problem  that  yet  remains  to  be  solved. 

PERCIVAL'S   OPINION 

is  shown  in  the  following  quotation.  "  Those  who  suppose  it 
to  be  a  muscular  affection,  mistake,  I  conceive,  the  effect  for 
the  cause.  I  choose  rather  to  refer  its  seat  to  the  spinal  mar- 
row, or  to  the  nervous  trunks  passing  between  it  and  the  affected 
muscle."  Professor  Spooner  was  not  disposed  to  dogmatise 
upon  a  question  upon  which  so  little  light  could  be  thrown  by 
anatomical  investigation.  Lesions  of  the  medulla  spinalis  and 
of  the  larger  branches  of  the  nerves  had  frequently  occurred 
when  there  was  no  evidence  of  Stringhalt,  and  a  dissection  of 
the  worst  cases  of  Stringhalt  had  revealed  no  evidence  what- 
ever of  a  lesion  of  the  nervous  trunks  or  branches. 

r 
t 

MICROSCOPICAL  RESEARCH 

had  also  failed  to  reveal  any  abnormality  of  structure.  That  the 
disease  resulted  from  a  functional  disturbance  of  nerve-force, 
he  thought  there  could  be  no  doubt  whatever.  He  had  found 
on  one  occasion  a  spicula  of  bone  pressing  against  a  nerve  in 
the  spine;  on  another  a  small  abscess  pressing  against  the 
nerve.  He  had  also  found  a  thorn  imbedded  in  the  nerve  of  a 
subject  of  Stringhalt,  but  as  he  had  found  thorns  so  frequently 
in  other  than  Stringhalt  cases,  he  attached  no  importance  what- 
ever to  this  latter  circumstance. 

PROFESSOR  SPOONER'S   FINAL  JUDGMENT 

of  the  matter  was  that  the  true  explanation,  if  ever  it  could 
admit  of  verification  would  be  that  of  a  partial  paralysis  of  the 
nerves  of  the  gastrocnemii  muscles.  These  muscles  are  so 
arranged  that  they  antagonize  or  check  any  undue  action  each 
of  the  other,  and  thus  produce  easy  and  harmonious  move- 


143 

ments.  But  a  partial  paralysis  of  the  nerve-force  of  one  mus- 
cle or  set  of  muscles  would  permit  of  an  irregular  and  exalted 
or  spasmodic  action  on  the  part  of  its  opposing  or  antagonistic 
muscle,  or  set  of  muscles.  Now  the  antagonists  of  the  exten- 
sor muscles  are  the  gastrocnemii,  and  hence  spasmodic  irregu- 
lar nervous  action  of  the  extensors,  aided  by  the 

PECULIAR   PHYSIOLOGICAL  ATTRIBUTE 

of  the  hock  joint  already  explained,  constitutes  the  affection 
known  as  Stringhalt. 

DR.    BUSTEED'S   BELIEF. 

I  must  not  omit  to  allude  to  the  view  taken  of  the  matter  by 
Dr.  Busteed,  of  New  York.  This  observer  locates  the  malady 
in  the  astragalo-tibial  articulation,  where  he  has  found  appear- 
ances of  an  ulcerated  condition.  I  do  not  think,  however,  the 
facts  and  observations  upon  which  Dr.  Busteed  founds  his 
hypothesis,  sufficiently  numerous,  to  characterise  them  as  any- 
thing more  than  suggestions  as  to  a  possible  cause  in  some 
occasional  instances. 

PROFESSOR  SPOONER'S  STRICTURES. 

Professor  Spooner  has  stated  in  his  lectures  that  the  appar- 
ently abnormal  condition  observed  by  Dr.  Busteed  is  by  no 
means  uncommon  in  horses  which  have  shown  no  tendency 
whatever  to  Stringhalt,  or  lameness  of  any  kind  whatever.  His 
explanation  of  the  phenomenal  appearance  observed  by  Dr. 
Busteed  is,  that  arising  from  severe  and  protracted  labor,  or 
some  other  cause,  there  may  be  a  deficiency  of  synovia  in  the 
joint,  which  would  induce  attrition  in  the  deep  sulcus  where 
this  lesion  is  always  found ;  and  that  the  articular  cartilage 
which  is  worn  away  by  this  attrition  being  non-sensitive,  no 
inflammatory  action  ensues,  as  a  rule,  admitting  possibly  of  some 
exceptions.  Besides  this,  inordinate  pressure  upon  the  parts 
deprived  of  articular  cartilage,  would  produce  molecular  ab~ 


144 

sorption ;  and  finally  finding  this  connection  so  frequently  in 
horses,  both  with  and  without  Stringhalt,  or  even  a  noticeable 
lameness  of  any  kind  whatever,  he  negatives 

DR.   BUSTEED'S  CLAIM   AS   A    DISCOVERER 

of  the  true  cause  or  causes  of  Stringhalt.  The  seven  isolated 
cases,  which  took  twenty-three  years  to  observe  and  record, 
even  in  the  absence  of  other  explanatory  facts,  certainly  would 
not  afford  sufficient  grounds  for  such  a  claim. 

EXPERIMENTAL  FACTS. 

The  mite  of  observation  which  I  wish  to  contribute  to  the 
etiology  of  Stringhalt  may  be  gleaned  from  the  following  ob- 
servations :  In  the  course  of  practice,  when  operating  for  the 
removal  of  lameness  in  the  fore  feet,  I  have  occasionally  had  a 
case  that  was  the  subject  of  Stringhalt.  Whenever  I  have  had 
such  a  case,  I  have  experimented  by  softening  and  expanding 
the  foot  of  the  affected  limb  ;  and  I  have  never  so  experimented 
without  perceiving  some  benefit  from  the  operation.  From 
these  experiments  I  have  been  led  to  think  it  possible  that  one 
of  the  causes  of  Stringhalt  at  least  may  have  its  origin  in 
mechanical  pressure  upon  the  nerves  of  the  foot,  excited, 
either  by  the  entire  hoof,  or  by  some  particular  portion  of  it. 

A    CURIOUS  COINCIDENCE. 

If  anything  more  than  a  very  slight  injury  be  inflicted  upon 
the  tendon  of  the  Extensor  Pedis,  particularly  at  the  point 
where  it  is  inserted  into  the  superior  process  of  the  os  pedis, 
by  the  tread  of  a  sharp  calk  or  by  any  other  accident,  the  suf- 
fering is  more  severe  than  when  it  is  inflicted  elsewhere  upon 
the  tendon,  because  of  the  inflammation  causing  an  outward 
pressure  against  the  superior  margin  of  the  wall  of  the  hoof,  and 
because  the  movements  of  progression  seriously  aggravates  the 
lesion.  If  any  doubt  should  exist  as  to  the  precise  locale  of 
the  hurt,  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  the  animal  lifts  its  foot 


145 

and  places  it  again  upon  the  ground  in  walking  indicates  un- 
mistakably the  precise  seat  of  the  trouble.  This  peculiar  man- 
ner always  reminds  me  of  Stringhalt,  it  is  so  very  similar  to  the 
peculiar  jerk  in  the  latter  complaint. 

I  have  in  former  years  had  much  trouble  with  such  cases, 
and  have  known  some  to  become  absolutely  incurable. 

Pressure  from  contraction  of  the  hoof  can  be  excited  around 
its  superior  circumferent  margin  upon  this  very  same  tendon 
of  the  extensor  pedis  of  the  hind  leg.  Too  much  growth  of 
horn  at  the  toe  from  keeping  the  shoes  on  too  long  would  also 
produce  pressure  against  the  Extensor  tendon,  and  pinch  or 
press  it  against  the  Superior  process  of  the  pedal  bone  just  at 
the  point  of  its  insertion  into  that  bone.  I  have  been  called 
to  examine  cases  of  inscrutable  lameness  where  half  a  dozen 
veterinary  surgeons  had  located  the  source  of  the  lameness  in 
as  many  different  places,  but  when  I  had  located  the  possible 
source  of  the  lameness  in  the  instep,  at  the  very  part  I  have 
indicated,  and  after  lowering  and  shortening  the  toe,  elevating 
the  heel,  and  softening  and  expanding  the  hoof,  the  lameness 
has  all  disappeared  in  two  or  three  days. 

Swinging  aroufid  the  circle,  as  I  have  done,  I  have  lost  the  run 
of  my  Stringhalt  cases,  and,  therefore,  I  cannot  say  if  after  the 
lapse  of  time  any  of  them  were  permanently  benefitted  or  were 
susceptible  of  absolute  cure.  Here  is  a  case  probably,  like 
some  others,  that  falsify  the  notion,  that  when  causes  are  re- 
moved the  effects  will  cease.  Habit,  we  all  know,  becomes  a 
second  nature,  and  I  deem  it  likely  that  the  habit  of  jerking  up 
the  leg  in  action  has  become  of  too  fixed  a  nature  to  be  entirely 
removed  even  after  the  original  active  cause  has  ceased  to 
operate. 

THE  WRITER'S  SUGGESTION. 

Adopting  this  view,  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that,  supposing 
pressure  upon  the  nerve-filaments  of  the  foot  to  have  produced 
Stringhalt,  and  after  it  had  existed  for  years,  when  that  pres- 
sure has  been  removed,  that  habit  has  much  to  do  with  the 
continuance  of  the  irregular  action ;  in  this  manner  I  regard 


146 

the  condition  termed  knuckling.  I  can  readily  remove  the 
cause,  but  I  cannot  so  soon  dispose  of  its  effects.  The  liga- 
ments of  the  fetlock  joint  have  become  elongated  and  adapted 
to  the  requirements  of  the  habit,  and  an  absolute  cure  on 
account  of  this  habit  is  tedious  and  difficult.  Even  so,  I  think, 
the  ligaments  of  the  hock-joint  and  the  tendons  of  the  muscles 
engaged  in  the  Stringhalt  movements,  have  become  adapted 
by  gradual  and  persistent  abnormal  tension  to  the  perverted 
action  of  the  muscles.  Certainly,  there  is  nothing  in  this  view 
of  the  possible  cause  of  Stringhalt  to  conflict  with  the  views 
of  Professors  Spooner,  Percival,  and  others  who  considered  it  a 
disease  of  the  nervous  system,  but  who  probably  never  extended 
their  inquiries  beyond  the  leading  trunks  and  branches,  not 
suspecting  that  it  may  have  been  caused  by  irritation  of  the 
peripheral  nerve-fibrillae  in  the  remote  region  of  the  foot.  This 
view,  I  think,  may  derive  some  countenance  from  the  fact  that 
tetanus  is  also  a  disease  of  the  nervous  system,  and  that  the 
most  frequent  cause  of  this  complaint  is  in  connection  with 
injuries  to  the  feet.     See  the  Article  on  Tetanus. 


SUMMARIZED  STATEMENT  OF  THE 
AUTHOR'S   THEORY. 


SUMMARY  OF    CHANGES. 

In  this  summary  of  changes  that  take  place  in  the  form  and 
functions  of  the  foot  of  the  horse  may  be  perceived  the  condi- 
tions out  of  which  not  only  Laminitis,  and  Navicular  Disease, 
but  every  other  specific  lesion  of  the  foot  may  arise. 

INCIPIENT  CONTRACTION 

produces  impaired  action,  by  undue  lateral  pressure  of  the 
wings  of  the  coffin-bone,  impairment  of  natural  action  being  in 
proportion  to  the  intensity  of  pressure. 

ADVANCED  CONTRACTION 

causes  undue  pressure  upon  the  lateral  cartilages  besides  the 
pressure  on  the  wings  of  the  coffin-bone.  The  rotary  and 
other  movements  of  the  foot  within  the  hoof  are  thus  impeded; 
attrition  first,  and  subsequently,  inflammatory  action  in  the 
tissues,  eventually  leading  to 

OSSIFICATION  OF  THE  LATERAL   CARTILAGES. 

LAMINITIS 

both  chronic  and  recent,  is  the  necessary  sequent  of  an  unsup- 
ported sole,  by  causing  abnormal  straining  and  morbid  elon- 
gation of  the  laminae.  These  causes  gradually  weaken  the 
laminal  attachments,  and  very  frequently  lead  to  their  discon- 
nection in  what  is  commonly  called  Founder,  and  descent  of 
the  coffin-bone,  producing  the  condition  termed 

DROP-SOLE  OR  PUMICED  FOOT. 


148 


NAVICULAR   DISEASE 


both  chronic  and  recent,  is  the  product  of  contraction,  which 
is  associated  with  an  ascended  frog  and  wired  in  quarters.  The 
result  is  a  loss  of  substance  and  functions  in  the  frog-tissues, 
and  concussion  to  the  bony  constituents  of  the  foot,  whereby 
other  specific  lesions  of  the  tissues  composing  the  joint  are 
directly  or  indirectly  produced. 


RINGBONE 

is  also  the  result  of  concussion,  occasioned  by  the  diminution 
or  destruction  of  the  elastic  properties  of  the  foot,  induced  in 
the  first  instance  by  contracted  quarters,  and  a  predisposing 
conformation  of  the  pastern  joint. 

CORNS 

are  the  products  of  lateral  pressure,  which  gradually  converts 
the  naturally  rounded  inflection  at  the  junction  of  bar  and  wall 
into  an  angular  one ;  the  vascular  and  nerve-filaments  becom- 
ing crushed  between  the  sides  of  the  angles  near  its  point ; 
pressure  on  the  nerves  producing  the  pain  and  lameness ;  and 
the  rupture  of  the  vessels  causing  extravasation  of  their  con- 
tents into  the  horny  sole  at  this  spot. 

QUARTER-CRACK 

is  invariably  the  result  of  that  inverted  order  of  things,  whereby 
the  quarters  are  contracted,  which  prevents  their  due  expan- 
sion, when  weight  is  thrown  upon  the  foot  in  motion ;  and  are 
expanded  where  they  ought  rather  to  contract ;  and  hence  the 
hoof  splits  from  internal  lateral  pressure  exerted  in  the  wrong 
place. 

TOE-CRACK 

is  caused  by  the  tendency  of  the  toe  to  expand,  when  and 
where  it  ought  not  to,  in  consequence  of  its  reciprocal  rela- 
tions to  the  heels  and  quarters. 


149 


FALSE-QUARTER,  SHELLY  FOOT,  SEEDY-TOE,  SCRATCHES,  THRUSH 
OF  THE  FROG,  AND  CANKER  OF  THE  SOLE. 

These  morbid  conditions  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  are  the 
products  of  perverted,  or  vitiated  secretions,  arising  from  par- 
tial or  total  suspension  of  the  secreting  organs;  the  general 
cause  of  which  being  an  unduly  contracted  hoof,  and  the  par- 
ticular and  proximate  cause,  direct  pressure  upon  the  organ  or 
organs  more  immediately  involved. 

GENERAL  ATROPHY   OF   THE   FOOT 

is  the  result  of  the  same  general  cause,  acting  more  equally 
over  the  whole  of  the  foot,  namely,  morbid  contraction,  inter- 
fering with  the  vital  processes  of  development,  of  nutrition,  or 
of  both. 

• 

ALL    ACCIDENTAL    AFFECTIONS    OF    THE    FEET,    SUCH    AS     TREADS, 

ERUISES,  INJURIES  FROM  CALKING,   QUITTORS,  SUPPURATING 

CORNS,  PICKING  UP  NAILS  IN  THE  STREET,  INJURIES 

FROM  PRICKING,  STABBING,  CROWDING,  ETC., 

IN  SHOEING 

are  all  greatly  aggravated  and  intensified  by  a  morbidly  con- 
tracted condition  of  the  horny  structures,  which  is  proved  by 
the  fact,  that  softening  and  expanding  those  structures  facil- 
itates the  healing  process  in  all  of  them  in  a  most  remarkable 
degree. 

CERTAIN  CONSTITUTIONAL  COMPLAINTS,  AS  TETANUS,  PNEUMONIA, 

PLEURISY,  GASTRITIS,  ENTERITIS,  GASTRO-ENTERITIS, 

AND  SKIN  AFFECTIONS. 

are  known  to  have  most  important  sympathetic  and  other  re- 
lations with  the  internal  tissues  of  the  foot.  Again,  light  has 
been  thrown  on  these  relations  by  the  process  of  mechanical 
dilation  of  the  quarter,  showing,  that  in  a  morbid  contraction 
of  the  horny  textures  lies  the  germ  of  many  unsuspected  mal- 
adies of  the  horse. 


150 


SWEENY,  OR  ATROPHY  OF  THE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  SHOULDER.  THE 

CHEST  AND  THE  ARM. 

is  the  almost  necessary  concomitant  of  an  injury  of  any  kind 
to  the  foot.  But  rarely  is  this  condition  due  to  any  direct  in- 
jury to  the  shoulder.  The  best  proof  of  which  is,  that  while 
the  foot  is  affected,  no  measure  of  treatment  will  effectually 
remove  the  morbid  conditions  of  the  shoulder,  etc.,  but  as 
soon  as  the  foot  is  easy,  the  muscles  which  govern  its  action 
gradually  recover  their  tone  and  normal  dimensions. 


CERTAIN  ABNORMALTIES  AND  IRREGULARITIES  OF  ACTION,  SUCH 
AS  STUMBLING,  POTTERING,  DAISY-CUTTING,  SHORT  GAIT,  BRUSH- 
ING, INTERFERING,  SPEEDY-CUTTING,  KNEE-STRIKING,  HIGH- 
SPEEDY-CUTTING,  DROPPING,  SKIPPING,  HITCHING,  HOBBLING, 
BROKEN-GAIT,  OVER-REACHING,  GRABBING,  CLICKING,  FORGING, 
HAMMER-AND-PINCERING,  STRINGHALT 

and  the  rest,  can  all  be  modified,  and  most  of  them  completely 
changed  to  normal  action,  by  simply  softening  and  expanding 
the  feet;  proving  beyond  a  peradventure,  that  morbid  con- 
traction in  some  degree  or  form,  is  a  cause,  if  not  the  cause  of 
these  abnormalties  and  irregularities  of  action. 


CONCLUSION. 


Such  a  theory,  and  such  a  treatise  as  this  book  presents, 
Professor  Gamgee  declared,  ten  years  ago,  had  not  then 
appeared  "  in  either  the  earlier  or  later  times." 

The  Theory,  as  I  have  placed  it  before  the  reader,  is  the 
necessary  sequence  of  the  practical  measures  that  accompany 
it.  It  is  the  result  of  a  large  number  of  operations  upon  every 
description  of  foot,  and  every  variety  of  the  foot-affections  of 
horses.  It  is  based  upon  no  isolated  cases,  but  an  accumu- 
lation of  facts  ;  facts  of  practice,  experience,  and  demonstration. 

There  is  nothing  far-fetched,  or  unreasonably  conjectural 
about  this  theory.  It  meets  every  requirement.  It  is  simple, 
intelligible,  and  demonstrable. 

It  is  in  harmony  with  the  facts  of  practice,  and  each  is  the 
complement  of  the  other.     What  more  is  needed  ? 

I  found  the  practical  measure  a  rough-and-ready  one  of  very 
limited  application,  and  it  has  revealed  pathologicol  secrets  to 
my  apprehension,  which,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  have  been 
vouchsafed  to  no  other.  I  now  regard  it  as  the  key  to  a  science* 
the  true  nature  of  which,  when  it  becomes  sufficiently  under- 
stood, and  generally  applied,  will  constitute  a  boon  of  no  mean 
order  to  the  equine  race  itself,  and  will,  I  verily  believe,  en- 
.  hance  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  value  of  its  services  in  the 
general  interests  of  mankind. 


APPENDIX    OF    FORMULA. 


POULTICES   AND    POULTICES   BOOTS. 


Equally  important  as  mechanical  dilation,  is  the  process  of 
softening  the  horny  textures  of  the  foot  when  they  are  hard 
and  unyielding.  To  soften  effectually  the  author  recommends 
before  all  other  means  and  appliances,  the  use  of  the 

LEATHER  POULTICE  BOOT. 

The  best  softening  agent  is  flax-seed  meal,  wrought  to  the 
proper  consistence  by  boiling,  or  hot  water,  in  which  a  little 
soap,  or  lye,  or  washing  soda  has  been  dissolved.  Success  or 
failure  almost  exclusively  depends  upon  the  attention  given  to 
the  softening  process. 

An  occasional  bad  case  of  Quittor,  Canker,  Thrush,  Scratches 
and  other  diseased  conditions  where  there  is  much  fcetor  and 
offensive  discharges,  may  require  the  use  of  an 

ANTISEPTIC   POULTICE. 

To  the  common  poultice  may  be  added  any  one  of  the  fol- 
lowing Antiseptic  agents : 

i.     Solution  of  Chloride  of  Zinc,  i  drm.  to  y2  pint  water. 

2.  "  Carbolic  Acid,  i  oz.  to  %  pint  water. 

3.  "  Corrosive  Sublimate,   1  drm.  to  1  pint  of 
hot  water. 

4.  Chloride  of  Lime,  in  powder,  2  or  3  oz. 

5.  Charcoal,  in  powder,  2  or  3  oz. 

6.  Yeast,  ^2  pint. 

Sometimes  there  is  much  pain  and  inflammation  of  the  soft 
tissues  of  the  foot  and  of  the  tendons  and  ligaments  of  the  leg 


153 


in  connection  with  it.     In  severe  cases  of  this  nature,  it  may 
be  desirable  to  apply  to  the  foot  or  leg,  or  to  both,  a 

NARCOTIG  AND   ANODYNE   POULTICE. 


To  the  common  poultice  may  be  added  any %  one  of  the  fol 
lowing  ingredients,  or  even  any  combination  of  them  : 


7 
8 

9 

TO 
II 
12 

14 
r5 


Tincture  of  Arnica,  2  or  3  oz. 

"  Aconite  Root,  2  or  3  oz. 

Wormwood,  2  or  3  oz. 

Camphor,  2  or  3  oz. 

Opium,  2  or  3  oz. 

Extract  of  Belladonna,  1  oz.,  dissolved  in  warm  water. 

"  Hyoscyamus,  1  oz. 

Boiled  Hops  make  a  cheap  and  excellent  anodyne 
agent  in  a  poultice,  as  also 

A  decoction  of  Wormwood. 


u 


u 


(I 


FOMENTATIONS. 

When  fomentations  appear  desirable,  as  in  acute  sprains  of 
tendons  and  ligaments,  from  Nos.  7  to  13,  either  singly,  or  a 
combination  of  them  in  about  equal  proportions,  added  to  an 
equal  or  double  quantity  of  hot  water,  may  be  used  with  the 
very  best  effects.  A  rest  for  the  foot  in  the  form  of  a  high 
heeled  shoe  is  a  most  important  requirement  in  these  cases ; 
and  if  there  is  much  swelling  and  inflammation  around  the  re- 
gion of  the  coronary  ligament,  an  expanding  shoe  should  be 
placed  on  the  foot,  and  the  hoof  slightly  expanded.  The 
soothing  and  discutient  effects  of  moderately  hot  water  are  not 
to  be  overlooked.  Nos.  14  and  15  are  both  powerfully  sooth- 
ing and  anodyne  in  their  effects  upon  painfully  inflamed  tissues. 

L 


154 

LOTIONS. 

1 6.       MERCURIUS   CORROSIVUS    LOTION. 

Corosive  sublimate,  i  drachm, 
Hot  water,  i  pint. 

Useful  in  the  reduction  of  ring-bones,  bone-spavins,  splents, 
side-bones,  thickened  tendons,  etc.  For  these  purposes  it 
should  be  applied  with  friction  of  the  hand  for  a  day  or  two, 
morning  and  evening,  or  until  soreness  is  produced ;  when  its 
application  should  be  discontinued,  the  parts  oiled,  and  washed 
with  soap  and  water  daily  until  the  soreness  is  removed,  when 
the  process  should  be  repeated  until  the  object  is  attained. 

I  have  found  this  the  most  useful  of  all  antiseptic  and  stim- 
ulant lotions  in  Quittors  and  other  ulcerous  affections,  of  the 
foot,  such  as  Grease,  Thrush,  Canker,  etc. 

17.      CHLORIDE   OF    ZINC    LOTION. 

Chloride  of  Zinc,  y2  ounce, 
Water,  1  pint. 

A  very  useful  antiseptic  stimulant  in  Quittors,  and  other 
ulcerous  affections. 

IS.      ARNICA    LOTION. 

Tincture  of  Arnica,  2  ounces, 
Water,  1  pint. 

Good  in  all  kinds  of  injuries  from  sprains,  bruises,  contu- 
sions, pricks  from  nails,  blows,  fractures,  dislocations,  etc. 

The  undiluted  tincture  may  be  applied  with  advantage  after 
cutting  down  upon  Corns  of  a  severely  painful  nature. 

19.      ARNICA    AND   ACONITE   LOTION. 

Tincture  of  Arnica,  1  ounce, 
Tincture  of  Aconite  Root,  1  ounce, 
Water,  1  pint. 


155 

Good  in  the  same  category  of  complaints  as  the  last.  I  pre- 
fer to  use  it  moderately  hot  in  very  painful  and  acute  cases, 
keeping  the  affected  parts  constantly  wet  by  means  of  a  linen 
bandage,  and  giving  support  to  the  limb  by  means  of  a  high- 
heeled  shoe,  at  the  same  time  carefully  expanding  the  quarters 
where  the  soft-tissues  are  highly  inflamed  and  create  an  evident 
pressure  against  the  horny  textures  of  the  foot. 

20.      RHUS   TOXICODENDRON   LOTION. 

Tincture  of  Rhus  Tox.,  1  ounce, 
Water,  1  pint. 

I  have  known  this  to  remove  sore  and  weak  ankles  when 
other  applications  have  failed. 

After  the  feet  have  been  expanded,  this  lotion  facilitates  the 
removal  of  soreness  and  old  rheumatic  symptoms  from  the 
joints,  the  best  of  any,  in  conjunction  with  the  frequent  appli- 
cation of  hot  water. 

21.      GOULARD   LOTION. 

Goulard's  Extract,  2  drachms, 

Water,  1  pint, 

Spirits  of  Wine,  2  ounces. 

This  is  an  excellent  cooling  and  soothing  application  where 
the  tissues  have  become  inflamed  by  severe  labor,  or  from  the 
effects  of  stimulating  applications  when  injudiciously  employed. 
Keep  the  parts  constantly  moist  with  it  by  means  of  a  linen 
bandage. 

22.      NITRATE  OF   LEAD   LOTION. 

Nitrate  of  Lead,  1  drachm, 
Distilled  water,  1  pint. 

Deodorizing  and  Cooling  in  Greasy  ulcerous  sores. 


156 

23-      ACETATE   OF    ZINC    LOTION. 

Acetate  of  Lead,  i  ounce, 
Sulphate  of  Zinc,  i  ounce, 
Water,  i  pint. 

A  favorite  formula  with  some,  for  the  cure  of  Scratches,  and 
for  its  cooling  and  repellant  properties  in  general. 


LINIMENTS  AND  EMBROCATIONS. 

■ 

Applications  of  the  above  nature  are  sometimes  more  con- 
venient to  use  than  fomentations,  and  are  preferred  by  many 
to  lotions.  They  are  especially  useful  in  sprains  and  bruises, 
and  in  cases  of  rheumatism  and  enlargement  of  the  pastern  or 
knee  joints. 

They  will  be  found  as  useful  in  the  human  as  in  the  equine 
patient. 

24.      CHLOROFORM    LINIMENT. 


Chloroform,  "1 

Tincture  of  Camphor,        r.r 

,.        .,    -    .  >■  Ut  each  2  oz. 

1  Opium, 

Olive  Oil  or  Glycerine,  J 


25.       CAMPHOR     LINIMENT. 

Camphor,  1  ounce, 
Spirits  of  Wine,  4  ounces, 
Glycerine,  4  ounces. 

26.      CAMPHOR    AND    FUSEL   OIL   LINIMENT. 

Spirits  of  Camphor,  2  ounces, 
Fusel  Oil,  2  ounces, 
Water  of  Ammonia,  2  ounces, 
Tincture  of  Opium,  1  ounce, 
Tincture  of  Aconite,  1  ounce. 


157 

27-      CAMPHOR   AND   CANTHARIDES   LINIMENT. 

Camphorated  Oil,  4  ounces, 
Tincture  of  Cantharides,  2  ounces, 
Oil  of  Turpentine,  2  ounces, 
Acetic  Acid,  1  ounce. 

28.      CAJERJT    EMBROCATION. 

Oil  of  Cajeput,  2  ounces, 
Camphor,  1  ounce, 
Almond  Soap,  2  ounces, 
Alcohol,  1  pint. 

Dissolve  the  soap  and  camphor  in  the  alcohol  first,  in  a  warm 
bath  when  nearly  cold,  add  the  cajeput  oil,  shaking  the  mix- 
ture well  together  until  quite  cold.  This  is  especially  good  in 
deep-seated  rheumatism  and  lumbago. 


LINIMENTS  AND  SALVES. 

For  wounds,  faruncles,  treads,  calks,  grease,  cracks,  ulcers, 
etc.,  in  the  region  of  the  foot. 

29.       CARBOLIC    ACID    LINIMENT. 

Carbolic  Acid,  1  part, 

Glycerine,  1  part, 

Olive  or  Lard  Oil,  4  parts. — Mix. 

30.       CARBOLIC   ACID   SALVE. 

Carbolic  Acid,  1  ounce, 
Lard,  8  ounces, 

Add  a  little  wax  in  warm  weather.     A  crystal  of  magenta 
will  give  color. 


158 


31,      LEAD   AND   ZINC   SALVE. 


Acetate  of  Lead,  %  ounce, 
Oxide  of  Zinc,  %  ounce, 
Lard,  4  ounces. — Mix. 


32.      ALUM   AND   ZINC   SALVE. 


Alum,  1  part, 

Carbonate  of  Zinc,  3  parts, 

Lard,  4  parts. — Mix.  % 

33.      ALUM   AND   SULPHUR   SALVE. 

Powdered  Alum,  1  part, 
Sulphur,  2  parts, 
Lard,  3  parts. 

34.      LINIMENTS  FOR   CANKER  AND  THRUSH. 

Pine  Tar,  4  ounces, 
Molasses,  2  ounces, 
Sulphuric  or  Nitric  Acid,  %  ounce. 

35.  Subacetate  of  Copper,  4  ounces, 
Honey,  %  pound, 
Spirits  of  Wine,  2  ounces, 
Nitric  Acid,  2  ounces. 

Melt  the  two  first  ingredients  over  a  slow  fire,  and  when 
cooling  add  the  two  last. 

Apply  by  means  of  pledgets  of  tow  or  cotton,  dipped  in 
either  mixture,  and  procure  genial  pressure  upon  the  sole, 
by  means  of  careful  packing,  a  stout  leather  sole,  and  a  high- 
heeled  shoe  somewhat  "  drawn  on  "  to  the  foot  by  judicious 
nailing. 


159 


POWDERS    FOR   SCRATCHES,  CANKER   AND 

THRUSH. 

They  should  all  be  reduced  to  the  finest  powder,  and  thor- 
oughly mixed  and  sifted  through  a  very  fine  sieve,  before 
application.  These  powders  are  also  good  for  wounds  gener- 
ally, and  especially  in  joint  wounds,  where  there  is  an  escape 
of  synovia,  it  is  desirable  to  coagulate. 

36.  Carbonate  of  Zinc,  4  parts, 
Alum,  1  part. 

37.  Alum,  4  parts, 
Armenian  bole,  1  part. 

38.  Burnt  Alum, 

Dried  Sulphate  of  Iron, 
Myrrh. — Equal  parts. 

39.  Sulphate  of  Zinc,  2  ounces, 
Oxide  of  Zinc,  1  ounce. 

40.  Alum,  1  drachm, 
Charcoal,  y2  ounce. 

41.  Burnt  Alum, 
Sulphate  of  Zinc, 
Armenian  bole 
White  lead, 
Yellow  Resin, 

Charcoal. — Of  each  2  ounces. 


160 


POWDERS    FOR    CLEANING    FOUL    ULCERS,    AND 
REPRESSING   REDUNDANT  GRANULATIONS  IF 
THE     FOREGOING    ARE    NOT    SUFFICIENTLY 
POWERFUL. 

42.  Acetate  of  Copper, 

Acetate  of  Lead. — Equal  parts. 

43.  Sulphate  of  Zinc, 
Alum. — Equal  parts. 

44.  Red  Precipitate, 

Burnt  Alum. — Equal  parts. 

45.  Red  Precipitate, 
Verdigris, 
Calamine. — Equal  parts. 

46.  Powdered  Quick  Lime. 

QUITTOR  DRESSINGS. 

These  should  be  injected  into  the  sinuses  when  practicable. 
On  no  account  rasp  or  cut  away  the  quarter  of  the  wall  affected, 
but  carefully  expand  it,  and  cause  the  affected  parts  to  be 
thoroughly  permeated  with  the  dressing  by  applying  to  them 
pledgets  of  tow  or  cotton  saturated  with  the  medicinal  agent. 

47.  Bi-chloride  of  Mercury,  1  drachm, 
Water,  nearly  boiling,  1  pint. 

Dissolve  in  any  vessel  but  a  metal  one. 

48.  Chloride  of  Zinc,  1  drachm, 
Water,  1  pint. 

49.  Sulphate  of  Zinc,  2  drachms, 
Water,  1  pint. 


161 

.    5°-     Bi-chloride  of  Mercury,  ^  ounce, 
Hydrochloric  Acid,  x/2  ounce, 
Liq.  Plumbi  Diacetatis,  x  y^  drachm, 
Spirits  of  Wine,  t  ounce. 

5  i .     Sulphuric  Ether,  i  part, 
Iodine,  6  parts. 

52.  Corrosive  Sublimate,  %  ounce, 
Diacetate  of  Lead,  1  ounce, 
Rectified  Spirits  of  Wine,  4  ounces. 

BLISTERING  APPLICATIONS. 

For  Splents,  Spavins,  Ringbones,  Side-bones,  or  Bony  En- 
largements, Thickening  of  the  Tendons,  and  the  Skin,  etc. 

53.  Corrosive  Sublimate,  1  drachm, 
Boiling  water,  1  pint. 

Prepare  and  use  as  before  directed. 

54.  Iodine,  1  drachm, 
Strong  Alcohol,  1  ounce. 

Paint  over  the  enlargement  with  a  small  brush  every  two  or 
three  days  as  long  as  necessary. 

55.  Biniodide  of  Mercury,  1  part, 
Lard,  7  parts. 

The  size  of  a  hazel  nut  to  be  rubbed  on  daily.  WThen  tender 
or  Scurf  is  produced,  wash  the  part,  and  re-apply  the  Ointment 
as  often  as  it  is  found  necessary. 

56.  Corrosive  Sublimate,  1  drachm, 
Tincture  of  Iodine,  1  ounce, 
Oil  of  Turpentine,  1  ounce, 

Finely  powdered  Cantharides,  ^  ounce, 
Finely  powdered  Euphorbium,  j£  ounce, 
Hog's  lard,  y2  pound. 


162 

Remove  the  hair  with  scissors.  Apply  with  friction.  The 
second  day  apply  oil  or  lard.  The  fourth  day  wash  off  the 
scurf  and  repeat  the  process  until  the  purpose  is  effected. 

BLISTERING  APPLICATIONS   FOR  THE   CORONET. 

Should  such,  however,  be  deemed  necessary,  no  better  can 
be  found  than 

No.  56. 

The  effects  of  this  blistering  compound  are  not  severe,  but 
its  potency  may  be  lessened  to  any  desired  extent  by  the  addi- 
tion thereto  of  hog's  lard. 

No.  56  is  a  peculiarly  valuable  preparation,  from  the  fact 
that  the  horse  will  not  bite  or  gnaw  the  parts  to  which  it  is 
applied.  It  is  also  a  useful  external  stimulant  to  the  muscles 
of  the  shoulder,  breast  and  arm,  in  the  condition  termed  Sweeny. 

HOOF     DRESSINGS. 

THEIR  USE  AND  ABUSE. 

The  writer's  views  are  opposed  to  the  indiscriminate  and 
constant  use  of  Hoof-dressings  of  whatever  character  or  class 
upon  feet  that  are  perfectly  sound,  properly  shod  at  regular 
and  proper  intervals  of  time,  and  otherwise  well  cared  for  by 
being  kept  clean,  dry  and  cool,  while  standing  in  the  stable. 
Greasy,  unctuous  applications  to  such  feet  that  obstruct  the 
perspiratory  exhalations  are,  to  him,  an  especial  abomination. 
A  small  roll  of  damp  cloth,  lying  loosely  around  the  fetlock,  and 
resting  on  the  skin  just  over  the  coronary  ligament,  will  do 
more  to  keep  the  horny  wall  cool  and  sufficiently  moist  than 
anything  whatever  that  may  be  applied  to  the  external  surface 
of  the  wall. 

Under  morbid  conditions,  when  it  becomes  necessary  to  pro- 
mote the  growth  of  the  wall,  stimulating  applications  should  be 
applied  to  the  secreting  organs,  rather  than  the  secreted  struc- 
tures.    Any  mild  stimulant  dressing  applied  around  the  cor- 


163 

onet  about  every  other  day,  or  as  often  as  it  can  be  done  with- 
out blistering  the  skin,  is  sufficient  to  promote  the  growth  of 
the  wall,  always  provided,  the  coronary  secreting  ligament  has 
plenty  of  room  for  the  due  exercise  of  its  functions.  This  is 
essential  to  the  growth  of  perfectly  sound  horny  substance. 

The  sole  and  the  frog  structures  are  secreted  differently  from 
that  of  the  wall.  The  same  conditions  of  plenty  of  roo?n  for 
development  and  the  free  exercise  of  functions  are  just  as 
essential  in  the  former,  as  in  the  latter  structures.  When  the 
full  natural  dimensions  of  the  outer  wall  has  been  obtained  by 
judicious  expansion,  then,  and  not  till  then  will  the  sole  and 
frog  become  developed,  and  this  they  will  rapidly  do  under  the 
influence  of  their  own  natural  stimulus,  namely,  exercise; 
which  may  be  aided  by  an  occasional  mild  stimulant,  dressing 
or  stopping  applied  to  the  sole  and  frog. 

Only  under  a  morbid  condition  of  the  foot  and  the  plea  of 
ignorance  of  anything  better  that  can  be  done  can  the  con- 
tinued use  of  Hoof  dressings  and  the  water  and  mud  baths  be 
justified. 

HOOF  DRESSINGS. 

STIMULANT    DRESSINGS    FOR    THE    CORONARY    LIGAMENTS. 

» 

57.  Strong  Water  of  Ammonia,  1  part, 
Sweet  Oil,  4  parts. 

58.  Cod  Liver  Oil, 

Kerosene  Oil. — Equal  parts. 

59.  Turpentine, 
Camphor, 

Sweet  Oil. — Equal  parts. 


164 


SOFTENING    AND     STIMULANT     STOPPINGS     FOR 

THE  SOLE  AND  FROG. 

60.  Soft  Soap,  4  ounces, 
Pine  Tar,  1  pound, 

Flax  Seed  Meal,  2  pounds. 

61.  Common  Axle  Grease,  1  pound, 
Pine  Tar,  1  pound, 

Flax  Seed  Meal,  2  pounds. 

62.  Pine  Tar,  1  pound, 
Tallow,  1  pound, 

Flax  Seed  Meal,  2  pounds. 

To  be  worked  into  a  stiff  paste,  and  applied  only  to  the  sole 
and  frog  after  thoroughly  cleansing  and  drying  the  foot. 


HOOF  OINTMENTS  OR  SALVES. 

After  long  continued  poulticing,  it  may  be  necessary  to  dis- 
continue its  use.  Every  part  of  the  hoof,  and  an  inch  or  two 
above  it,  may  then  be  anointed  occasionally  with  any  of  the 
following  preparations,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  up  the 
emollient  effects  already  attained : 

THE   THREE   T   OINTMENT. 

63.  Tar, 
Tallow, 

Turpentine. — Equal  parts. 

THE   T.    H.    T.   OINTMENT. 

64.  Tar, 
Honey, 

Tallow. — Equal  parts. 


165 


SPOONER  S   HOOF   OINTMENT, 

65.  Tar,  1  pound, 
Palm  Oil,  %  pound, 

Oil  of  Turpentine,  1  ounce, 
Sulphuric  Acid,'  1  ounce. 

Melt  the  two  first ;  when  cooling  add  the  two  last. 

BOURGELAT'S    HOOF    OINTMENT. 

66.  Yellow  Wax, 
Olive  Oil, 
Lard, 

Veal  Suet, 
Honey, 

Turpentine. — Equal  parts. 
Colored  with  ivory  black. 

FLESH   AND    HOOF    OINTMENT- 

67.  Resin,  4  ounces, 
Wax,  4  ounces, 
Honey,  4  ounces, 
Lard,  8  ounces, 
Turpentine,  12  ounces. 

Melt  together  the  four  first ;  when  cooling  add  the  last  and 
stir  till  cold. 

FLESH   AND    HOOF    SALVE. 

68.  Resin,  2  pounds, 
Linseed  Oil,  1  pint, 
Coal  Oil,  1  pint, 
Balsam  of  Fir,  4  ounces, 
Spirits  of  Turpentine,  2  ounces, 
Glycerine,  2  ounces, 
Carbolic  Acid,  2  ounces. 

Dissolve  all  the  ingredients  together  very  carefully. 


CONSTITUTIONAL    TREATMENT. 


Severe  injuries  to  the  Feet  of  Horses  are  sometimes  attended 
by  a  disturbance  of  the  system  variously  designated  as  Sys- 
temic Fever,  Irritative  Fever,  Sympathetic  Fever,  Traumatic 
Fever,  Acute  Inflammatory  Fever,  etc.  The  pulse  runs  high,  the 
respirations  are  rapid,  the  breath  and  tongue  hot,  the  skin  hot 
and  cold  by  turns,  the  urine  high-colored  and  scanty,  the  bowels 
constipated,  and  the  appetite  impaired.  These  are  the  prin-. 
cipal  phenomena  to  be  observed  in  this  class  of  Fevers,  and,  of 
course,  the  intensity  of  the  symptoms  will  accord  with  the  sever- 
ity of  the  disturbing  causes.  These  sympathetic  manifestations 
constitute  an  index  to  the  more  or  less  serious  character  of  the 
injury.     As  the  wound  improves  these  symptoms  subside. 

In  all  foot-wounds,  as  well  as  those  of  the  knee  and  the 
ischium,  the  vigilance  of  the  experienced  veterinarian  keeps 
him  constantly  on  the  alert  for  the  possible  supervention  of 
Tetanus  or  Lock-jaw. 

Some  discrimination  is  needed  in  the  treatment  of  the  con- 
stitutional symptoms  already  referred  to.  If  the  systemic  dis- 
turbance be  slight  the  case  may  be  left  to  nature.  If  at  all 
pronounced,  internal  remedies  become  requisite.  Such  cases 
divide  themselves  into  two  classes,  sthenic  and  asthenic  j  the 
first  denoting  strength,  the  last,  the  lack  of  it.  Cases  of  the 
first  class  are  those  in  which  the  patient  may  have  been  in 
robust  health  before  the  infliction  of  the  injury.  He  might 
have  been  in  good  or  even  high  condition ;  or  the  system  may 
have  been  gross  from  over  feeding,  or  there  may  have  been  but 
a  slight  loss  of  blood  from  the  injury,  and  the  pulse,  it  may  be, 
has  increased  in  frequency  to  70,  80  or  90  per  minute,  with  a 


167 

full,  strong  and  firm  beat.  Such  cases  call  for  depletive  mea- 
sures. In  other  words  a  purgative  or  laxative  dose  of  aloes  > 
and  an  occasional  dose  of  the  chlorate  or  nitrate  of  potash 
will  be  both  desirable  and  necessary. 

Cases  of  the  second  class  in  which  the  animal  has  lost  much 
blood,  and  the  pulse  is  quick,  thin  and  thready,  and  there  is 
prostration  and  trembling,  and  the  vital  powers  feeble,  require 
an  opposite  course  of  treatment ;  repletive  rather  than  deple- 
tive measures  should  be  resorted  to. 

The  use  of  stimulants,  such  as  Brandy,  Wine,  Beer,  Aroma- 
tic Ammonia,  &c,  which  arouse  rather  than  depress  the  vital 
powers,  are  then  indicated. 

If  the  animal  is  very  weak,  they  are  best  given  in  gruel,  if 
otherwise,  diluted  with  water.  If  constipation  is  present,  it 
should  be  overcome  by  frequent  enemata  of  warm  soapy  water. 

In  both  classes  of  cases  when  there  is  much  pain,  sedatives 
may  be  given  with  propriety,  such  as  Aconite,  Arnica,  Bella- 
donna, Hyoscyamus,  Rhus  Tox.,  and  Opium. 

It  has  been  a  favorite  practice  with  me  to  administer  the 
same  kind  of  medicine  internally  as  that  I  have  been  using 
externally. 

Doses. 

The  doses  of  the  medicines  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing  brief 
notice,  are  as  follow  : 

i.  Aloes  in  Solution. — Barbadoes  Aloes  3,  4,  5  or  6 
drachms  in  powder,  according  to  size,  age,  and  requirements 
of  the  patient.  Place  in  a  pint  bottle,  and  add  thereto  half- 
pint  of  warm  water  in  which  a  little  Washing  Soda  or  Saler- 
atus  has  been  dissolved.     Shake  up  well,  and  administer. 

2.  Aloes  in  Ball. — Barbadoes  aloes,  same  as  before,  but 
made  into  a  very  stiff  paste  with  a  little  common  soap. 


168 

3.  Nux  Vomica. — After  the  action  of  the  aloes  has  sub- 
sided the  bowels  may  be  kept  tolerably  regular  by  Powdered 
Nux  Vomica  half-drachm,  morning  and  evening,  given  in  a 
little  water,  or  on  the  feed. 

4.  Chlorate  of  Potash. — One  or  two  drachms  morning 
and  evening  may  be  given  on  the  feed,  or  in  the  drinking  water, 
or  the  animal  may  be  dosed  with  it  dissolved  in  a  few  ounces 
of  water. 

5.  Nitrate  of  Potash.  — Same  as  the  last. 

6.  Aromatic  Ammonia. — The  best  stimulant  when  pro- 
curable, 4  to  6  drachms  in  a  pint  of  cold  water,  twice  daily. 

7.  Brandy  in  2  or  3  ounce  doses,  suitably  diluted  with 
water. 

8.  Wine. — Same  as  the  last. 

%• 

9.  Ale  and  Beer  may  be  obtainable  when  other  stimu- 
lants are  not.  These  may  be  given  in  pint  doses,  without  dilu- 
tion. The  addition  of  a  little  powdered  Ginger  or  Cayenne 
Pepper,  or  both,  would  be  an  improvement. 

10.  Aconite. — Tincture  of  Aconite  Root,  5  or  10  drops, 
either  placed  on  the  tongue  or  given  in  water  or  gruel,  should 
be  given  at  intervals  suitable  to  the  requirements  of  the  case. 
This  agent  must  be  discontinued  as  soon  as  any  glucking  noise 
is  heard  in  the  throat. 

11.  Arnica. — Give  the  Tincture  in  one  drachm  doses,  2  or 
3  times  a  day  in  2  ounces  of  water. 

12.  Belladonna  is  a  favorite  sedative  with  me  in  the  fol- 
lowing formula : 


169 

• 

Strong  Solution  of  Acetate  of  Ammonia,  i  oz., 

Nitric  Ether,  -  i^oz., 

Tincture  of  Belladonna,  2  drms., 

Cold  Water, -  ^  pint. 

Morning  and  evening  till  the  violent  symptoms  abate. 

13.  Hyoscyamus. — The  same  quantity  of  the  tincture  may 
be  substituted  for  the  Belladonna  in  the  last  formula.  Is  a 
favorite  recipe  with  some. 

14. — Rhus  Tox. — This  is  an  internal  homeopathic  remedy 
of  great  value  in  wounds  of  the  tendons,  ligaments,  and  liga- 
mentous structures.  Rheumatic  symptoms  usually  yield  to 
this  agent  when  properly  used  and  understood.  10  drops  of 
the  Mother  Tincture  may  be  given  in  1  or  2  ounces  of  water  3 
or  4  times  a  day  with  the  best  effects. 

15.  Tincture  of  Opium. — This  old-time  remedy  must  not 
be  over-looked.  It  has  rendered  good  service  to  mankind,  and 
I  use  it  occasionally  with  the  best  results,  as  follows : 


Tincture  of  Opium,    - 

-   1  oz., 

Nitric  Ether, 

-   I  oz., 

Cold  Water  -       - 

-  4  oz. 

H 


GLOSSARY. 


Abdomen.     The  belly. 
Abdominal.     Belonging  to  the  belly. 
Abnormal.     Contrary  to  the  natural  condition. 
Absorbent.     Sucking  up  or  absorbing. 
Absorption.     Sucking  up. 
Abyss.     Depth. 

Accessory.     Muscles  that  assist  the  action  of  larger  ones. 
Acclivity.     A  slope  or  ascent  upwards. 
Action.     A  faculty  or  function  of  the  body. 
Acumen.     Quickness  of  perception. 
Ad  infinitum.     To  infinity. 
Adjunctive.     Assisting  other  remedies. 
Adult.     Arrived  at  maturity. 
.JEgis.     A  shield. 

Affection.     Synonomous  with  disease. 
Agglutination.     A  glueing  or  joining  together. 
Aggregate.     The  sum,  or  whole  of  several  particulars. 
Ala.     A  wing.     Applied  to  parts  from  their  resemblance  to  wings. 
Amateur,     A  lover. 
Anosmia.     Deficiency  of  blood. 

Analagous.     Applied  to  things  different  in  their  nature,  but  similar  in  func- 
tion. 
Anatomy.     The  dissection  of  organized  bodies. 
Animal-economy.     All  matters  relating  to  animal  life. 
Anodyne.     Medicines  which  assuage  pain. 
Articular.     Belonging  to  a  joint. 
Articulation.     A  joint. 

Astragalus.     The  principal  bone  of  the  hock  joint. 
Asttagalo-tibial.     The  articulation  formed  by  the  astragalus  and  tibia. 
Atrophy.     Wasting,  or  emaciation.     Defect  of  nutrition. 
Attrition.     Rubbing  against,  and  wearing  by  abrasion. 


171 

Apex.     The  point  or  top  of  a  thing. 
Artery.     A  vessel  conveying  blood  from  the  heart. 
A  re  hi  form.     Having  the  form  of  an  arch. 
Areolar.     Containing  areola;  or  small  spaces. 

Aponeurosis.     Expansion  of  a  tendon  or  tendons  into  a  fibrous  membrane. 
Anastomosis.     The  communication  of  branches  of  vessels  with  each  other, 
Albuminous.     Having,  or  of  the  nature  of  albumen. 
Antiphlogistic.     Treatment  intended  to  subdue  inflammation. 
Aeupuneture.     Puncturing  with  needles. 
Antiseptic.     Preventing  putrefaction. 

Analysis.     The  process  of  separating  a  compound  substance  into  its  con- 
stituents. 

B 

Brachial.     Belonging  to  the  arm. 

Bursa.     A  bag,  or  purse. 

Bursa  Mucosa.     A  serous  bag  for  secreting  a  substance  (Synovia),  to  lubri. 

cate  tendons  and  joints  rendering  their  motion  easy. 
Basement  membrane.     The  undermost  or  fundamental  membrane. 


Calcareous.     Belonging  to  lime. 

Caliber.     The  diameter  of  a  tube.     The  compass  of  mind. 

Capillary.  Belonging  to  hair.  Hair-like.  Applied  to  a  minute  system  of 
vessels  which  connects  the  arteries  and  veins. 

Caries.     An  ulceration  of  bone. 

Carpus.     The  knee  joint. 

Cartilage.     Commonly  called  gristle. 

Centre  of  gravity.  That  point  of  a  body,  by  which,  if  it  were  freely  sus- 
pended, all  the  parts  would  be  equally  balanced. 

Centre  of  motion.     The  same. 

Centre  of  rotation.     The  same. 

Cervical.     Belonging  to  the  neck. 

Circulus  Arteriosus.     The  artery  which  runs  round  the  foot. 

Circumferent.  The  line  including  and  surrounding  a  thing,  and  forming 
a  circle. 

Chorion.     A  membrane  involving  the  foetus. 

Chronic.     Long-continued  ;  opposed  to  acute. 

Co-arctation.     A  straightening,  or  pressing  together. 

Commissure,     Applied  to  the  fissures  of  the  frog. 

Compressioti.     Flattening  in  a  lateral  direction. 


172 

Concussion.     A  violent  shaking. 

Conformation.     The  natural  form  of  a  part. 

Congener.     Belonging  to  the  same  kind  or  race. 

Congenital.     From  birth  ;  born  with. 

Congestion.     An  unnatural  accumulation  of  the  usual  contents  of  any  ves- 

sels  or  ducts. 
Cohesive.     Sticking  together. 
Constitution.     The  general  habit  of  the  body. 
Contraction.     The  act  of   contracting,  drawing  together,  or  shrinking,  the 

state  of  being  contracted. 
Concavity.     An  internal  rounded  surface. 
Convex.     Bent  down  on  every  side  of  a  body. 
Connective  tissue.     Tissues  that  connect  the  different  muscles,  etc. 
Conical.     Cone-shaped. 
Coronal.     Resembling  a  crown. 

Coronary.     Applied  to  a  ligament  that  encircles  a  part  like  a  crown. 
Corneous.     Horny. 

Correlative.     Having,  or  indicating  a  reciprocal  relation. 
Cranial.     Belonging  to  the  cranium  or  skull. 
Cuboid.     Resembling  a  cube. 
Cuticle.     The  epidermis,  or  scarf-skin. 

D 

Depletion.     The  use  of  means  acting  through  the  constitution  in  checking 

inflammation. 
Diametrically.     Directly  opposite. 

Diagnosis.     The  recognition  of  a  disease  by  its  symptoms. 
Diathesis.     A  particular  state  or  disposition. 
Dilatation.     An  enlargement  or  expansion. 
Dilation.     The  same. 

Dilatator.     Applied  to  instruments  that  enlarge  or  expand. 
Dilator.     The  same. 

Disease.     Any  departure  from  the  state  of  health. 
Dislocation.     Displacement  of  a  bone  of  a  movable  articulation  from    its 

natural  place. 

I 

Disintegration.      Breaking  down  of  structures,  or  destruction  of  function. 
Dorsal.     Pertaining  to  the  back. 

E 

Economy.     System. 

Emollient.     Softening. 

Empirical.     Belonging  to  an  empiric  or  quack. 

Empiricism.     Quackery. 


173 

Engorgement.     A  state  of  vascular  congestion. 

Enteritis.     Inflammation  of  the  bowels. 

Epidermis.     The  external  covering  of  the  body.     The  cuticle. 

Equine.     Relating  to  the  horse. 

Etiology.     The  causes  of  disease. 

Expansibility.     The  capability  of  being  expanded. 

Expansion.     The  increase  of  bulk  or  of  surface,  of  which  natural  bodies  are 

susceptible. 
Extensor.     An  extender. 

Extravasation.     The  effusion  of  a  fluid  out  of  its  proper  vessel  or  receptacle. 
Exfoliation.     Shedding  off  in  flakes. 
Exostosis.     Morbid  growth  of  bone  from  bone. 
Excreta.     Applied  to  matters  voided  from  the  animal  system. 
Excito-motory.     Exciting  motion.     A  peculiar  attribute  of  the  spinal  system 

of  nerves. 
Epithelial.     The  cuticle  covering  a  mucous  membrane. 
Effluvia.     Noisome  exhalations  perceived  by  the  sense  of  smell 
Exudation.     The  oozing  of  fluids  through  the  vascular  walls. 
*Endosteum.     The  lining  membrane  of  bones. 
Etymological.     Relating  to  the  derivation  of  a  word 
Equilibrium.     Equality  of  weight. 
Exhalents.     Vessels  that  exhale  or  send  out  vapors. 

F 

Facilis  decensus  avernus.     The  road  to  evil  is  easy. 

Fascia.     A  tendinous  expansion. 

Fibre.     A  minute  thread  or  filament. 

Fibrillcs.     Extremely  fine  threads  only  seen  through  the  microscope. 

Fibrin.     Coagulable  lymph. 

Fibrinous.     Having  or  partaking  of  fibrin. 

Fibro-cellular.     Both  fibrous  and  cellular. 

Fibro-elastic .     Both  fibrous  and  elastic. 

Filament.     A  delicate  thread-like  substance. 

Fissure.     A  deep  depression. 

Follicles.     Little  bags. 

Foramen.     A  hole  or  opening. 

Foramina.     Plural  of  foramen. 

Fragilitas.     Ossium.     Brittleness  of  bones. 

Frustum  of  a  cpne.     A  cone  with  its  apex  cut  off. 

Fulcrum.     A  stay,  or  prop. 

Function.     A  power  or  faculty  by  the  exercise  of  which  the  vital  phenomena 

are  produced. 
Functional  disease.     Where  the  function    of  an  organ    is  vitiated,  but    its 

structure  remains  natural- 


174 

G 

Gastric.     Belonging  to  the  stomach. 

Gastritis.     Inflammation  of  the  stomach. 

Gastro-intestinal.     Belonging  to  the  stomach  and  intestines. 

Gland.     An  organ  for  secreting  or  separating  some  particular  fluid  from  the 

blood. 
Globular.     Of  a  round  form  like  a  globe. 
Glutinous.     Gluey,  adhesive. 

H 

Hallucination.     Mental  error,  or  foolish  imagination. 
Haversian  Canals.     Canals  in  bones  first  described  by  Haver. 
Hereditary.     Transmissible  from  parents  to  offspring. 
Heterogeneous.     Opposite  by  nature.     Of  different  kinds. 
Hiatus.     An  opening. 

Hippedopathology.     Pertaining  to  the  diseases  of  horses'  feet. 
Histology.     The  doctrine  of  the  minute  or  ultimate  structure  and  composi- 
tion of  organized  bodies.  , 
Homologue.     The  same  organ  in  different  animals. 
Homogeneous.     Of  the  same  kind,  or  quality  throughout. 
Horizontal.     On  a  level. 
Humeral.     Relating  to  the  arm. 
Hygiene.     The  science  of  health. 
Hyperemia.     Excess  of  blood  in  a  part. 

Hypertrophy .     Excessive  growth,  thickening,  or  enlargement  of  an  organ. 
Hypothesis.     A  supposition. 

I       • 

Idiopathic.     Arising  spontaneously. 

Inflammation.     A  state  of  disease  characterized  by  redness,  swelling,   heat 

and  pain. 
Inflection.     Bent,  or  curved  inwards. 

Intermittent.     Disappearing  and  returning  again  at  intervals. 
Interosseous.     Between  bones. 
Interperiosteal.     Between  periosteal  membranes. 
Intertransposition.     Transposition  between  parts  or  organs. 
Intertransmutation.     Changes  between  parts  or  organs. 
Ipse  Dixit.     Dogmatic  assertion. 


Lamella.     A  thin  plate  of  some  substance. 
Lamella:.     Plural  of  lamella. 
Lamellar.     Having  thin  plates. 


175 

Lamellated.     The  same. 

Lamina.     A  thin  plate,  a  layer  of  some  substance- 

Lamina.     Plural  of  lamina. 

Luminal.     Consisting  of  thin  layers. 

Laminated.     The  same. 

Laminitis.     Inflammation  of  the  laminae. 

Lateral.     On,  or  near  the  side. 

Lesion.     Injury,  hurt,  or  wound. 

Ligament.     A  gristly  substance  which  unites  bones  at  their  extremities. 

Ligamenlozts.     Of,  or  belonging  to  a  ligament. 

Locomotive.     Changing  place. 

Lymph.     The  contents  of  lymphatic  vessels.     A  product  of  inflammation. 

Lymphatics.     Absorbents  or  vessels  containing  lymph. 

M 

Malformation.     Deviation  from  the  natural  form  of  an  organ. 

Matrix.     A  place  where  anything  is  generated  or  formed. 

Membrane.     An  expanded  substance  for  the  purpose  of  enclosing  parts  or 

organs. 
Medullary.     Pertaining  to  marrow. 
Metacarpal.     Beyond  the  knee-joint. 
Metastasis.     Change  of  disease  from  one  part  to  another. 
Metastastic.     Relating  to  metastasis. 
Modus  operandi.     Mode  of  operation. 
Molecule-     The  smallest  part  of  matter  conceivable. 
Molecular.     Consisting  of  molecules. 
Mollities  Ossium.     Undue  softening  of  bone. 
Morbid.     Diseased. 
Motory.     Giving  motion. 

Mucus.     The  fluid  secreted  by  mucous  membranes. 
Mucous  membrane.     The  surface  of  the  nostrils,  mouth,  windpipe,  stomach 

and  bowels. 

N 

Narcotic.     Inducing  sleep. 

Navicular.     Having  the  appearance  of  a  small  boat. 

Naviculare,  Os.     The  navicular  bone. 

Necrosis.     Ulceration  of  bone. 

Neuralgia.     Pain  in  a  nerve. 

Neurotomy.     Division  of  a  nerve. 

Nidus.     A  nest. 

Nomenclature.     The  proper  arrangement  and  application  of  names. 

Nosology.     Classification  of  diseases. 


176 

o 

Occult.     Secret,  hidden,  unknown. 
Octogenarian.     Eighty  years  old. 
Ocular.     Known  by  the  eye. 
Oleaginous.     Of  an  oily  nature. 
Organ.     Natural  instrument. 
Organism.     Organic  structure. 
Os.     A  bone. 

Os.  Naviculare.     The  navicular  bone. 
Ossification.     Conversion  into  bone. 
Osseous.     Of  a  bony  nature. 

P 

Palliative.     Mitigating,  not  removing. 

Parasitic.     Living  at  another's  expense. 

Paralysis.     Loss,  or  diminution  of  the  power  of  voluntary  motion. 

Parieties.     The  walls,  or  sides  of  a  cavity. 

Par  excellence.     By  way  of  eminence. 

Papilla.     Minute  termination  of  a  nerve. 

Papillce.     Plural  of  papilla. 

Papillated.     Having  papillae. 

Pathology.     A  consideration  of  the  nature  and  effects  of  diseases. 

Pedal.     Belonging  to  a  foot. 

Pectoral.     Belonging  to  the  breast. 

Pendulous.     Hanging,  not  supported  below. 

Perichondium.     A  membrane  covering  a  cartilage. 

Periosteum.     Membraneous  covering  of  a  bone. 

Peripheral.     Towards  the  circumference. 

Perspiratory.     Causing,  or  pertaining  to  perspiration. 

Phenomenon.     In  pathology,  a  morbid  condition. 

Phenoetiena.     Plural  of  phenomenon. 

Physiology.     The  natural  constitution  of  things. 

Pigment.     Color. 

Plantar.     Belonging  to  the  sole  of  the  foot. 

Plexus.     A  little  net-work  of  vessels  or  nerves,  or  of  both. 

Pneumonia.     Inflammation  of  the  lungs. 

Post  mortem.     After  death. 

Precursor.     Forerunner,  harbinger. 

Predisposing.     Rendering  susceptible  to  any  condition  or  disease. 

Primary.     Original,  first. 

Prognosis.     Knowledge  of  a  disease. 

Proximate  cause.     The  immediate  existing  cause  of  a  disease. 

Pulmonary.     Belonging  to  the  lungs. 

Pyramidal  process.     Process  resembling  a  pyramid. 


177 

R 


Receptaculum  Chyli.     The  expanded  portion  of  the  thoracic  duct. 
Resilience.     The  act  of  springing  or  leaping  back. 
Reticular.     Like  a  net. 
Rationale.     Explanation  of  causes. 


Sebaceous.     Fatty  glands  that  secrete  fat. 

Secerning.     Separating  or  dividing. 

Secretion.     The  same. 

Secretaries.     Organs  that  secrete. 

Sentient.     Susceptible  to  sensation. 

Sensory.     Imparting  sensation. 

Sequela.     A  consequence,  or  sequel. 

Serous.     Having,  or  full  of  serum. 

Serum.     The  watery  portion  of  the  blood. 

Silicious.     Having  silicia  in  its  composition. 

Sinus.     A  cavity,  hollow,  or  depression. 

Sine  qua  non.     A  necessary  condition. 

Solar.     Relating  to  the  sole  of  the  foot. 

Solution  of  continuity.     Division  of  the  skin  or  other  textures  by  a  blow,  a 

cutting  instrument,  or  ulceration. 
Spinal.  Belonging  to  the  back  bone. 
Squamous.     Scaly. 

Stellate.     Pointed,  or  radiated,  like  the  emblem  of  a  star. 
Sthenic.     Having  strength,  a  robust  condition  of  body. 
Stimulus.     That  which  rouses  or  excites  the  energy  of  a  part. 
Strictuxg.     Term  for  contraction. 
Styptic.     Having  power  to  stop  bleeding. 
Sub-acute.     Less  acute. 
Sub-cutaneous.     Lying  under  the  skin. 
Sub-structure,     The  under  structure. 

Suffraginis  os.     The  suffraginis  bone.     Large  pastern  bone. 
Sui  generis.     Of  its  own  kind. 
Sulcus.     A  groove,  furrow,  or  trench. 
Suppuration.     A  gathering  of  matter,  festering. 
Sympathy.     That  intimate  connection  between  one  part  of  a  body  and  the 

rest. 
Synovia.     Commonly  called  joint-oil. 


178 


Tegument.     In  general,  the  skin. 

Tegumentary.     Pertaining  to  the  skin. 

Temperament.     Peculiar  constitution  of  the  body. 

Temperature.     Sensible  heat. 

Tendon.     The  gristly  termination  of  a  muscle. 

Tendinous.     Relating  to  a  tendon, 

Tetanus.     .Lock-jaw. 

Textures.     In  anatomy,  animal  structures  and  substances. 

Theory.     A  doctrine,  scheme,  or  speculation. 

Therapeutics.     The  science  of  applied  remedies  for  the  cure  of  diseases. 

Thoracic     Relating  to  the  thorax. 

Thorax.     The  chest. 

Tissue.     See  textures. 

Tortuous.     Twisted,  winding. 

Tone.     Healthy  condition  of  muscles,  etc. 

Tonics.     Medicines  which  increase  the  tone  of  muscular  fibre. 

Translucent,     Penetrable  to  some  extent  by  luminous  rays. 

Traumatic.     Belonging  to  a  wound. 

Tumour.     A  morbid  enlargement  from  whatever  cause. 


Vaginal.     Belonging  to  a  sheath. 

Vasa  vasorum.     The  very  minute  arteries  and  veins  by  which  the  substance 

of  larger  vessels  is  supplied  with  nourishment. 
Vascular.     Having,  or  belonging  to  vessels. 
Venesection.     Bleeding  from  a  vein. 

Vermicular.     Having  the  appearance  of  the  progression  of  a  worm. 
Vesicular.     Belonging  to,  or  having  vesicles. 
Villus.     Applied  to  small  conical  projections  that  secrete  the  various  horn 

textures. 
Villi.     Plural  of  villus. 
Viscera.     The   contents  of  the  large   cavities   of  the   body,  as  the   heart, 

lungs,  stomach  and  intestines,  etc. 
Visceral.     Relating  to  those  organs. 
Visual.     Exercising  the  power  of  sight. 
Vitiated.     Perverted,  injured,  deteriorated. 
Vivisection.     The  cutting  into  living  animals. 


SPECIAL    NOTIFICATION. 


Dr.  J.  B.  Coleman  hereby  notifies  the  owners  of  valuable 
horses  throughout  the  American  States  that,  upon  invitation,  he 
will  proceed  to  any  readily  accessible  locality  within  the  States 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  instructions  in  his  methods  of  treating 
the  various  foot-diseases  of  the  horse.  His  instructions  in- 
clude demonstrations  upon  the  feet  of  horses  suffering  from 
maladies  that  are  usually  deemed  incurable,  such  as  the  sup- 
posed Navicular  Disease,  Laminitis,  etc.  Horses  having  tender 
feet,  or  are  the  subjects  only  of  Contraction,  Corns,  and  Quar- 
ter-Crack ;  it  will  be  shown  by  actual  demonstration  are  readily 
and  quickly  curable.  He  will  stay  sufficiently  long  in  one 
locality  to  thoroughly  induct  his  pupils  into  the  whole  rationale 
of  the  causes  and  treatment  of  foot  diseases,  than  which,  fully 
understood,  nothing  can  be  more  simple  and  rational ;  more 
perfectly  adapted  to  accomplish  the  ends  in  view,  or  more 
easily  acquired ;  and  a  correct  knowledge  of  which  is  of  im- 
measurable value  to  owners  of  first-class  stock. 

A  general  knowledge  of  these  principles  and  processes  will 
save  millions  worth  of  horse-stock  from  sacrifice  or  destruction; 
which  means  millions  saved  to  individual  and  national  gain. 

The  author  can  save,  and  show  others  how  to  save,  ninety- 
five  per  cent  of  all  cases  of  so-called  incurable  diseases ;  and 
cure  rapidly,  in  a  few  weeks  at  most,  the  worst  cases  of  Quarter- 
Crack,  Corn,  and  Contraction.  Such  important  information  as 
this  should  no  longer  be  kept  secret.  What  would  not  some 
horse- owners  give  if  their  horses  could  be  prevented  from 
Interfering,  Speedy-cutting,  Knee-hitting,  and  other  Irregular 
Actions,  so  as  to  dispense  with  boots  and  pads?  That  this  is 
readily  effected,  is  as  demonstrable  as  that  one  and  one  make 
vtwo.     The  author  enters  into  his  work  con  amore,  and  strives 


180 

to  make  every  one  of  his  pupils  as  expert  as  himself,  and  more 
so,  if  possible. 

He  feels  confident  that  not  one  of  his  pupils  has  ever  regret- 
ted the  outlay  of  the  small  fee,  for  instruction,  small  in  com- 
parison to  the  value  of  the  information  imparted,  or  part  with 
the  latter  if  he  could,  for  twenty  times  the  amount. 

DR.  J.  B.  COLEMAN, 

Post  Office  Box  34, 

Chicago,  Ills. 


TESTIMONIALS. 


HOW    TO   MAKE   A    BOOK." 


The  writer  prefers  to  depend  upon  the  merits  of  his  work  for 
its  extended  sale  and  the  employment  of  his  personal  services, 
both  as  a  teacher  and  practitioner,  than  to  the  ad  captandum 
mode  of  operations  implied  in  the  display  of  a  large  number  of 
laudatory  testimonials,  while  the  desired  and  paid  for  infor- 
mation is  non  est  inventus. 

This  is  the  general  character  of  a  book  published  a  few  years 
since,  whose  title  page  would  lead  the  purchaser  to  imagine 
that  a. great  secret  was  to  be  the  equivalent  for  his  five  dollars; 
but  instead  of  which  he  purchased  a  work  that  would  have  been 
better  entitled,  "  A  Collection  of  Letters  and  Extracts  from 
Newspapers  upon  the  Merits  of  a  Method  of  Treatment  for 
Horses'  Feet ;  "  but  the  rationale  of  which  method  could  only 
be  imparted  after  a  fee  of  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred 
dollars  has  been  duly  paid  and  pocketed.  The  amount  of  dis- 
appointment and  profane  swearing  which  has  been  occasioned 
by  the  sale  of  that  book  and  its  purchaser  is  not  edifying  to 
dwell  upon. 

"the  play  without  the  part,  of  hamlet." 

The  writer  of  this  work  believes  that  it  will  not  belie  the 
promises  of  its  title  page ;  that  it  will  not  create  disgust  and 
disappointment ;  that  it  will  not  be  a  mere  collection  of  letters 
laudatory  of  a  system  with  the  system  omitted ;  the  play  of 
Hamlet  with  the  part  of  Hamlet  left  out,  but  that  it  will  supply 
the  long  sought-for  information  ;  the  loudly-expressed  want  of 
all  horse-owners  of  every  class  and  description ;  the  most  hu- 
mane and  successful  of  all  systems  of  treatment  for  the  diseases 
of  the  feet  of  horses. 


182 


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 

The  writer  is  indebted  to  his  friends,  Addison  Doughty 
and  Major  Anthony,  of  this  city,  for  a  knowledge  of  the  fact 
that  his  plans  of  treatment,  besides  its  other  merits,  is  a  very 
large  factor  in  the  development  of  speed  in  the  trotting  horse, 
by  its  prevention,  and  correction,  if  present,  of  irregular  action  ; 
so  much  so  that  the  usual  upholstery  work  of  boots  and  pads 
can  be  very  largely  if  not  entirely  dispensed  with.  This  fact 
alone  enhances  the  value  of  his  special  treatment  immensely ; 
and  with  the  endorsement  of  the  two  foregoing  names,  he  can 
afford  to  smile  at  the  rabid  hostility  manifested  by  some  so- 
called  veterinarians  and  blacksmiths  of  this  city,  who  cherish 
bar  shoes  and  cripples,  as  institutions,  or  sources  of  profit  of 
which,  whoever  dares  to  look  doubtfully  or  speak  lightly, 
should  be  immolated  instanter. 

UNEXCEPTIONABLE    TESTIMONY. 

It  were  easy  for  the  writer  to  make  a  book  of  the  letters  and 
testimonials  he  has  received,  or  may  obtain,  if  he  so  desired, 
eulogistic  of  himself  and  his  system.  He  hopes,  however,  the 
two  following  letters  from  well-known  practical  horsemen  of 
Chicago,  will  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  very  proper  desire 
some  may  entertain  for  testimony  of  this  character,  before  they 
entrust  valuable  property  into  the  hands  of  any  one,  of  whose 
professional  skill  they  are  not  themselves  personally  cognizant. 


LETTER  FROM  ADDISON  DOUGHTY,  ESQ. 

Training  Stable,  404  Webster  Avenue,  ) 
Chicago,  III.,  January  21,  1876.        f 

Dr.  Coleman  : 

Dear  Sir : — I  am  happy  to  bear  testimony  to  the  extreme 
value  and  importance  of  your  methods  of  treatment  for 
the  various  diseases  to  which  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  liable. 
Since  becoming  your  pupil,  the  knowledge  of  these  methods 


183 

has  been  of  immense  advantage  to  me,  as  I  have  been  enabled 
thereby  to  improve  the  speed  of  several  otherwise  fast  horses, 
and  notably  that  of  "Woodford"  and  "Pinkie,"  in  a  remark- 
able degree.  I  have  cured  many  cases  of  contraction,  corn, 
and  quarter-crack,  since  then,  by  these  means,  such  cases  giv- 
ing me  no  trouble  whatever.  I  have  made  a  remarkable  cure 
of  a  mare,  the  short  history  of  which  was  this  :  She  had  been 
badly  foundered,  had  been  five  or  six  weeks  in  the  hands  of  a 
doctor  who  had  abandoned  her  as  incurable — as  the  coffin- 
bones  of  her  fore  feet  had  become  visible  through  the  horny 
soles.  I  bought  her  for  experimental  purposes  at  a  very  low 
price.  I  have  succeeded  in  re-instating  the  coffin-bones  in 
their  natural  position,  the  feet  are  growing  down  sound,  the 
mare  being  meanwhile  perfectly  free  from  the  suspicion  of 
lameness.  As  this  statement  may  be  doubted  by  some,  any 
one  doubting,  or  requiring  any  reference  as  to  your  capabilities 
in  the  premises,  can  have  this  statement  verified  by  writing  to 
me  upon  the  matter.  I  would  say  that  you  have  my  most  un- 
qualified endorsement  as  a  perfect  master  of  all  matters  per- 
taining to  the  foot  of  the  horse  and  its  diseases.  If  your  forth- 
coming work  contains  the  information  I  have  derived  from  your 
personal  instructions,  it  will  be  an  invaluable  boon  to  horse- 
men, and  a  blessing  to  horses  of  every  class,  from  the  trotter  to 
the  streeter. 

I  further  take  pleasure  in  saying  that  I  have  good  reasons  for 
reposing  confidence  in  your  ability  in  the  treatment  of  the  con- 
stitutional maladies  of  the  horse ;  and  I  can  say  as  much  on 
behalf  of  my  friends,  whose  very  valuable  animals  you  have 
treated  with  perfect  success. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  add  the  expression  of  my  opinion, 
that  if  your  views  and  methods  of  shoeing  both  sound  and  lame 
horses  were  widely  disseminated  and  generally  adopted  by 
horsemen,  veterinary  surgeons,  and  shoeing-smiths,  diseases  of 
the  feet  of  horses  would  become  exceedingly  rare  in  a  very 
short  time. 

ADDISON  DOUGHTY. 


184 


LETTER  FROM  R.  C.  ANTHONY. 

Boarding  and  Sale  Stable,  133  Michigan  Ave,  ) 
Chicago,  III.,  January  24,  1876.        j 

Dr.  J.  B.  Coleman, 

Dear  Sir : — In  compliance  with  your  request  for  my  opinion 
as  to  the  value  of  the  special  modes  of  treatment  which  you 
practice  and  teach,  I  have  to  state  that  of  nearly  fifty  cases 
that  you  have  treated  for  me,  or  that  I  have  treated  after  re- 
ceiving your  instructions,  I  cannot  recall  a  single  instance  of 
want  of  success  in  the  treatment.  They  were  all  cases  of  foot 
diseases  in  some  form  or  another,  the  greater  part  I  should  say 
were  those  of  contraction,  corns,  and  quarter-crack.  Some 
were  believed  to  have  been  navicular  disease,  but  whether  they 
were  or  not  they  became  sound.  One  was  a  case  of  canker  in 
which  the  sole  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the  crust  had  separated, 
yet  the  canker  was  arrested  and  a  new  foot  grown  out,  and  the 
life  of  a  valuable  animal  saved,  which,  I  think,  would  have 
been  impossible  by  any  other  means  than  those  you  adapted. 
Your  clear  insight  into  the  general  and  particular  causes  of 
every  malady  that  affects  the  foot  of  the  horse,  and  above  all 
your  simple,  rapid,  painless  and  effective  cure  of  cases  usually 
deemed  incurable,  or  of  doubtful  cure,  such  as  Navicular  Di- 
sease, Acute  and  Chronic  Founder,  and  badly  contracted  feet, 
stamps  you,  in  my  estimation,  as  a  genius  in  all  that  pertain 
to  the  foot  of  the  horse  whether  in  health  or  disease. 

No  one  can  appreciate  this  statement  until  they  have  been  in- 
structed by  you  in  this  special  branch  of  horse-knowledge.  I 
can  safely  recommend  all  horse-men,  no  matter  what  they 
know  already,  to  avail  themselves  of  your  personal  instructions 
upon  this  subject,  feeling  assured  they  will  not  be  disappointed, 
nor  regret  the  outlay.  It  is  important  that  horse-men  should  be 
made  aware  of  the  very  marked  influence  your  treatment  has 
over  all  irregular  action,  such  as  hitching,  broken-gait,  inter- 
fering, etc.  Nothing  conduces  more  powerfully  to  regulate 
and  perfect  action,  and  to  the  development  of  speed  than  the 


185 

treatment  you  advise.  My  mare,  '  Pet,'  a  short  time  ago,  could 
not  be  driven  by  any  but  myself  without  getting  her  gait 
1  mixed  up '  and  her  fore  shoes  picked  off.  Your  treatment 
which  is  simplicity  itself,  has  changed  all  that. 

You  further  desire  my  opinion  upon  the  quality  of  the  work 
which  you  are  about  to  publish  upon  the  foot  of  the  horse. 
What  I  have  seen  of  it  in  manuscript ;  what  I  know  of  the  in- 
formation to  be  obtained  from  veterinary  works  in  general ; 
and  my  experience  in  horse-matters  generally,  enables  me  to 
say  that  it  will  be  the  best  and  most  advanced  work  of  its  kind 
ever  given  to  the  public.  Its  utility  to  horse-men  will  be  of 
the  most  valuable  character,  and  I  predict  that  we  shall  hear 
of  greater  achievements  in  speed  than  have  hitherto  been  re- 
corded, when  the  principles  and  practice  it  inculcates  in  regard 
to  the  preservation  of  sound  feet,  and  the  restoration  of  diseased 
ones,  come  to  be  widely  appreciated  and  carried  into  effect. 

R.  C.  ANTHONY. 


N 


THE   DILATOR. 


The  high  price  charged  for  a  patented  instrument  of  this 
nature  which  possesses  no  special  advantage  to  make  it  a  sine 
qua  non,  and  the  loss  of  time,  trouble,  and  expense  involved  in 
getting  one  made  by  the  ordinary  blacksmith,  has  led  the 
author  of  this  work  to  have  an  instrument  manufactured  which 
is  equally  effective  as  the  patented  instrument,  and  can  be  sold 
at  a  much  less  price. 

It  can  be  supplied,  plain,  for  $3.00. 

Silver  or  Nickel  plated,  in  leather  case,  for  carrying  in   the 
pocket,  $6.00. 


THE    BOOK   AND   THE    INSTRUMENT, 


Until  agents,  who  are  wanted  everywhere,  have  been  ap- 
pointed for  the  sale  of  the  book  and  the  instrument,  they  can 
only  be  obtained  from  the  author. 

The  book  will  be  mailed  free,  to  any  address  in  the  U.  S., 
upon  the  receipt  of  three  dollars. 

The  instrument  will  be  sent,  by  Express,  to  any  address 
in  the  U.  S.,  upon  the  receipt  of  three  or  six  dollars  respect- 
ively. 

The  book  and  the  instrument  will  be  sent  together,  by  Ex- 
press, upon  receipt  of  stated  prices. 

Booksellers  ordering  the  book,  or  the  instrument,  or  both, 
may  deduct  10  per  cent,  for  commission,  but  pre-payment  is  a 
pre-requisite  of  the  order  being  attended  to. 

0 

Post  Office  Orders  should  be  made  payable  and  all  commun- 
ications addressed  to 

DR.  J.  B.  COLEMAN, 

Post  Office  Box  34, 

Chicago,  III. 


NOTICE    TO    HORSE   OWNERS. 


As  many  horse-owners  of  Chicago  and  elsewhere  may  desire 
to  be  informed  where,  and  by  whom  the  foot-diseases  of  the 
horse  can  rationally  and  successfully  be  treated  upon  the  prin- 
ciples and  methods  of  treatment  advocated  in  this  work,  the 
author  has  pleasure  in  presenting  the  cards  of  two  gentlemen 
who  are  thoroughly  indoctrinated  with  the  author's  views  and 
processes  of  treatment,  and  have  effected  some  very  remarkable 
cures  themselves,  and  into  whose  care  horses  of  value  may  be 
safely  sent  from  any  distance  for  special  treatment  with  perfect 
confidence. 

The  Horse-Shoers,  whose  cards  are  presented,  have  also 
been  instructed  in  the  author's  theory  and  practice  of  shoeing 
the  feet  of  both  sound  and  lame  horses.  They  have  been  his 
chief  coadjutors  in  his  practice  in  Chicago,  upon  the  feet  of 
all  kinds  of  horses,  whether  of  much  or  little  value,  and  he  can 
endorse  them  as  skillful  and  efficient  workmen. 


ADDISON  DOUGHTY, 

BOARDING, 

BREAKING   AND    TRAINING 
STABLES. 


Nos.  402,  404,  406  and  4O8  Webster  Ave., 


N.  B. — Open  for  the  reception  of  horses  for  the  special  treatment  of  foot  diseases,  upon 
Dr.  Coleman's  rational,  radical  and  safe  methods  of  cure. 


R  C.  ANTHONY, 

Boarding  and  Sale  Stable, 

No.  133  Michigan  Avenue, 
CHICAGO,  ILL. 


H  orses  crippled  by  contracted  quarters,  corns  and  quarter-crack,  may  be  consigned  to 
him  for  treatment,  and  an  absolute  cure  guaranteed  in  from  seven  to  thirty  days,  upon 


DR.    COLEMAN'S    METHOD    OF    TREATMENT. 


JAMES  MADDE1T, 


PBACTICAL 


HORSE-SHOER, 

Rear     of    43    14th    Street, 

(Between     Michigan    and     Wabash     Avenues,) 

CHICAGO,   ILL. 


His  long  general  experience  as  a  Horse-Shoer,  together  with  the  particular  experience 
which  he  has  gained  under  the  instructions  and  directions  of  Dr.  Coleman,  for  the  removal 
of  all  the  diseased  conditions  of  horses'  feet,  and  especially  for  the  quick  cure  of  Con- 
traction, Corn,  Quarter-Crack,  Quittors,  etc.,  and  the  prevention  and  cure  of  Interfering, 
enable  him  to  promise  absolute  satisfaction   to  the  owners  of  horses  requiring  his  services. 

N.  B. — All  horses  shod  under  his  own  superintendence,  and  none  but  the  most  skillful 
workmen  employed. 


ICHAEL  KEADY, 


PRACTICAL 

HORSE-SHOER, 

702   Larrabee  Street, 

(Near   Lincoln   Avenue.) 


All  kinds  of  Interfering  and  all  Contractions,  Split  Hoofs  and  Corns  guaranteed  to  be 
cured  Ly  Dr.  Coleman's  method  of  treatment. 


Webster  Family  Library  of  Veterinary  Medicine 

200  Westboro  Road 
North  Grafton,  MA  01536 


